through eyes of mine
by yAmAmoTO'13
Summary: Summary: when a member of the team is kidnapped and held hostage, Yusuke and the others must seek the aid of a beautiful but deadly bounty hunter to get their friend back. Hiei/original character. Complete!
1. prologue: awake

Hiei woke to the feeling of cold steel digging into his throat and wrists, and when he opened his eyes he saw nothing but blackness. Confused, he opened the jagan eye and found it to be utterly useless, which stumped him further. He was chained, blindfolded, and powerless. _Well. This sucks, _he thought.

_TWANG!_

"AH!" he grunted in pain. What was that? It had sounded like a bow…had someone just shot him?! He could feel the blood dripping from the wound in his abdomen and not being able to do anything about it made him feel slightly nauseous. _TWANG! _He sucked air through his teeth as a second arrow lodged itself in his shoulder. The force of it caused his arm to jerk downward, tugging at the restraints and nicking his wrist. He grimaced. What the heck was going on?

"Tee hee…you're so cute when you're in pain, little jaganshi." A silken voice murmured from the darkness. Hiei's head snapped over in the direction of the voice and he winced a little as the metal collar dug in deeper.

"Who are you?" he growled. The voice laughed menacingly.

"Oh, that matters not. What does matter is that for every hour your comrade's don't come to rescue you, your pain will worsen. And if they aren't here in two days, I will torture you until you die. Your friends should be receiving my invitation any moment now, and then we wait."

A fist made contact with Hiei's jaw suddenly and he grunted in surprise. He felt his lip begin to bleed. Again and again his jaw was struck, and his rage gave way to a sense of helplessness the likes of which he'd never felt before. The pain began to lessen as he felt himself slip back into unconsciousness.


	2. chapter one: the bounty'll have to wait

Chapter one: the bounty will have to wait

"….and therefore, if you are not here in two days, your friend's life will be forfeit. It is your decision. Until!" static erupted upon the screen as the video ended. Koenma sat back and folded his hands.

"Hmm. This could be a problem." The child ruler mused. Kurama grimaced, worried.

"We have to find him, Koenma. I cannot lose my best friend because of some sadistic demon's games." The fox asserted.

"That is understood, Kurama. But we have no idea where to start looking. If she had given us any sort of clue…." Koenma muttered, worry creasing his forehead

A commotion erupted outside the door and George burst through, panting. Someone was screaming outside, and one of the guards was screaming back.

"LET ME IN!!! I HAVE TO SEE KOENMA! IT'S IMPORTANT!!! I-…"

"Shut up! You think you can just barge in here and expect him to just let you in?! Do you even know who you're talking about???"

Koenma's face grew red. "George! What is going on? Can you not see that I'm very very very—"

"She says she has information about Hiei!" the ogre blurted before Koenma could finish. Kurama looked at Koenma with a surprised expression on his face. Koenma sighed.

"Fine, let her in. And don't make a habit of interrupting me, you useless dolt." He waved George off. A couple of lesser ogres came in, dragging between them the miscreant in question. Kurama caught his breath. Between them was a young girl, whose scent the youko was very familiar. Her waist-length hair was dark brown, mixed with red and gold, framing a heart shaped face and covering one of her forest green eyes. She was muscled in the most feminine way and not much taller than Hiei. A wolf spirit, deadly and beautiful and at the moment, very very agitated. She snarled in surprise.

" So this is how low the reikai has fallen, to associate with common criminals?" the girl mused, raising an eyebrow. One of the guards growled and raised a hand to hit her, but Koenma interceded.

"Don't hit her. She doesn't know what she's talking about. Let her go and get out." He commanded. The ogre's bowed and left, practically falling over each other on their way out. "Now. As for you. What is your name?"

"Kaari."

"And why are you here?"

"Sir, I am a bounty hunter by trade. I tracked HIM," she pointed at Kurama, "for ages and finally gave up when I thought he was killed…anyway following a warrant out for Hiei I was hot on his trail and then another scent began to mix with his…fresher than his…I realized that someone else was following him. I continued on, and at one point his scent vanished altogether, replaced by the other one. I followed it, and came to a warehouse near the border of Yomi's territory…"she continued, running out of breath.

" Alright. Thank you for that information. You have been very helpful. May I ask a favor of you?" Koenma asked.

"Sure, alright." Kaari responded.

"When I send my team out to retrieve Hiei, would you accompany them and aid in the endeavor?" Koenma probed.

"WHAT? WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD…IT'S NOT MY PROBLEM! Why would you ask me to do that…?" Kaari exploded. Koenma held up a hand to silence her.

"It is not a matter of if you will. It is an order, and I expect you will follow through with it, else you will be jailed. Is that clear?" he demanded. Kaari lowered her eyes and frowned.

"Yes, sir." She growled.

…………………………………………………………………..

Ten minutes later Kurama was walking down the hall with Kaari. There was a ridiculously awkward silence hanging between them. Finally the youko broke it.

"So. Now that we've been forced to become allies, what about working on being friends next?" he mused. Kaari looked at him incredulously.

"Huh. I don't know. I don't normally associate with the likes of you." She muttered.

Kurama spun on her and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Let go of me you-…" she began but he cut her off.

"Listen to me, Kaari. I know we may have been enemies in the past, but lets put that behind us now, okay? Your attitude has got to change or Hiei's life is forfeit, and while that might not mean anything to you, he is my closest friend and if I lose him…" tears welled up in the fox's eyes and Kaari felt the twinges of guilt deep inside her. "Please, Kaari. I know this is asking a lot from you…but please…and if not for me or for Hiei then do it for you. So maybe one day you can catch him and be famous or whatever the reward might be." He hit his knees and hid his face with his hair. "please…god, that's all I ask. Just try…try to put our differences aside just until we get him back…" he sobbed.

Kaari didn't know what to do. Here was someone she'd always regarded as an enemy, sobbing at her feet. Unconsciously she buried her fingers in his hair and lowered herself down to eye level with him.

"Kurama…I will do everything in my power to help you get Hiei back. I've never seen any relationship like this between two demons but whatever it is it has to be something special for you to be this affected, so I will help, okay?" she murmured in his ear. He looked up at her in surprise.

"Really? Thank you so much, Kaari!" he hugged her fiercely. She blushed furiously, and wondered- not for the first time- what she had just gotten herself into.


	3. Chapter two: twisted game

Chapter two: twisted game

Three hours later the blindfold came off. Hiei blinked in pain and surprise as light assaulted his eyes. He let his eyes adjust and looked around. What he saw didn't ease his tension any. Shelf after shelf of wicked looking torture devices lined the walls and out in the center of the room machines that could only be for one thing shone in the light. Despite himself Hiei shuddered, unsure of what to do.

"Do you like it, little jaganshi? It's all for you. We're going to have lots of fun today, aren't we?" the same silken voice intoned next to him.

Without moving he answered. "I'm sure." He turned to the voice and saw his captor for the first time. Standing beside him was a woman of intense beauty. He caught his breath. She smiled at him, her wine red lips glimmering and her ruby eyes sparkling. She brushed a strand of thigh length black hair from her face. _ Oh my god. She's a temptress…_

"Kokoro o sosoru josei*…." He breathed feeling his control slipping under her hypnotic gaze. She clasped her hands together joyfully.

"Oh, smart little jaganshi, you guessed right…but just call me Kokoro for now…and I will call you by your name…"

"…No…please…" Hiei pleaded. He knew what would happen when she said his name and he really, really did NOT want that to happen. She smiled that wicked smile and his breath quickened, his heartbeat was painfully fast…he silently begged the powers that be not to let this happen… to somehow save him, to shut her up before she could say-

"Hiei." She purred.

Hiei's head snapped back and all the breath was sucked out of him. His heart shuddered violently and stopped for a moment. His body jerked in one huge spasm and he gasped. The feeling was unlike anything he had ever felt, like something had reached in and taken hold of his heart and was squeezing. He bucked against the chains, and a scream tore from his throat…and for the second time that day he let unconsciousness rescue him.

……………………………………………………………….

Kokoro smiled sadly despite herself and sighed. Forcing people to love her was what she was made to do, and she enjoyed it. But Hiei's reaction to her spell showed her that love was something he'd never really experienced, and she pitied him for it. He shouldn't have had to suffer like that. But the suffering in his life had hardened him and therefore made her spell painful for him…_I'm sorry little, jaganshi. A life without love is terrible. I should know…I live it. _Kokoro hit a switch on the wall and the chains released their hold on Hiei, and he slid down to the floor. Kokoro snapped her fingers and a guard appeared.

"Pick him up and follow me." She ordered.

"But mistress, haven't I handled him enough? Shooting him and then hitting him…I have to carry him around now?" the guard complained.

"Do you just whine for the sake of hearing yourself talk? Because I hear nothing of substance coming from your mouth. Don't argue. Just do." Kokoro replied. Grudgingly, the guard complied.

………………………………………………………………

An hour later Hiei woke with a start in a new place. He was on a...bed? What was going on? And where was Kokoro?_ Wait a minute. Why should I care where she is? What did she do to me?_ Then it all came back to him. The way she'd said his name…the way it had felt like he was dying, like his heart was being ripped out…temptresses were infamous for their ability to make a man fall in love with them just by saying their name…no matter what. You couldn't fight her spell, and the only way to break it was to kill her. Unfortunately for the victim, killing her was impossible because of the love you felt for her. Hiei buried his head in his hand and groaned. How was he supposed to get out of this? All he could do was the one thing he didn't want to do: put his faith in the spirit detective and hope that the team got there before it was too late.


	4. Chapter three hitting the trailagain

Chapter three: hitting the trail…again.

Yusuke, Kurama, and Kaari were running as fast as their legs could carry them through the forest, whipping past trees as blurs. It was almost sunset, and they all knew that they had to get as far as they could before they stopped. They had been going for what seemed like hours, and indeed they had left around noon.

"How much farther is this place, Kaari?" Yusuke yelled.

"It's still a long way off. At this rate we'll get there tomorrow night, maybe early afternoon. That's if we stop for the night." She responded.

"Well, I think we should stop somewhere and soon or we're not going to have enough energy to fight when we do get there." Kurama added. He jerked his head to the side as he caught the scent of something coming their way. "Trees!" he hissed urgently and they all took to the foliage, climbing a little ways before stopping.

"What, Kurama?" Yusuke whispered. Kurama didn't look at him as he answered, but continued to look down at the ground. "We're being followed." He muttered.

"How many?"

"Four. Coming from different directions. One is way ahead of the others. He's coming fast."

Kaari looked worried. "We're out numbered…"

The demon entered the little clearing below and stopped, sniffing around. Yusuke neatly sniped him with his spirit gun. "Not anymore."

"Alright, here come the other three. Ranged or melee?" Kurama asked with a smirk. Both smiled back at him.

"Melee." They responded simultaneously. He chuckled silently.

"Alright. Three…" he held up three fingers. Crashing footfalls in the undergrowth sounded. "Two…" the steps were closer now, almost directly beneath them.

"One."

…………………………………………………………………..

cut scene with tree line and birds exploding from it anyone?

………………………………………………………………….

The three made short work of the demons that were following them, saving the last one for questioning, and finding out that they were just rogues looking for loot. They went on a little longer and finally stopped at a small clearing.

The next morning, Yusuke woke them up with a yell. "Hey guys! Lets get back on the trail! " And so began day two.

………………………………………………………………………..

"Hiei…wake up. It's time." Kokoro's voice awakened him from his sleep. Hiei groaned as he sat up and opened his eyes. The moment he saw her he was completely awake and he gladly followed her into the next room.

"Lay down, Hiei." She commanded. His forehead creased as some small part of him tried to fight, but a moment later it smoothed out and he jumped up on the table she had indicated. The moment he was flat on his back she flicked a switch and metal cuffs snapped down on his wrists, binding him to the table. He grimaced, that's small part of him still trying to question this whole situation.

"Today, Hiei, we begin your torture. As you are aware, if your friends are not here by midnight, your life will end. Are you ready?" she smiled down at him. He frowned more heavily then, the feeling that this was wrong was still there, and growing. He looked at her questioningly. But before he could open his mouth to ask her, she leaned over him and brushed his hair back softly. "Shhh…my little one…you are my loved one…and I would never…hurt…you…" she cooed.

And he believed every word.

And then out of nowhere she leaned down and pressed her lips to his. His eyes widened and he gasped against her mouth, allowing her to deepen the kiss…he closed his eyes and kissed her back. She suddenly broke the kiss but kept her face so close to his.

"I love you," she whispered, and he had a split second to see and realize the lie before she dug a dagger into his abdomen and pulled it down to his naval. He grunted in pain and confusion. He opened his mouth to ask her why she'd done that but she did it a second time, deeper, running parallel to the first one. He cried out this time, sweat drops forming on his brow. And then another…and another…and another, each one going deeper than the one before it. Eventually she stopped, leaving him gasping in pain. She reached down under the table and pulled out a small canister.

"What…is…that?" Hiei rasped. Kokoro smiled benignly.

"Salve. For your wounds. Hold still." She said softly, and opened the jar. She dipped her fingers in and then began to apply it to Hiei's torn stomach.

Hiei literally roared in pain and anger as he realized what she had done.

"You dirty excuse for a female dog! That's not salve, that's salt! Agh!" he growled.

She laughed. "Right again, little one." And she put it directly into the wounds, rubbing it around. He gasped in pain. "But," she continued, "not just salt but a special…cream. Made of salt and alcohol and anything else that burns. Do you like it, Hiei?"

Hiei closed his eyes tight and focused everything he had on breaking the mental barrier the woman had set up in the room. Not to attack her, or to free himself, but to do the one thing he didn't want to do. He focused all his energy into his telepathy… and called for help.


	5. Chapter four: TOA almost too late

Chapter four: T.O.A- almost too late.

For those of you who don't know, that means time of arrival. Please leave me reviews…I'm getting kind of discouraged …this chapter is really long, by the way…sorry XP!

…………………………………………………………………………………..

_Kurama…help…me…please…_

Kurama stopped dead in his tracks, causing Kaari to slam into him and Yusuke to jerk to a stop in front of him.

"What is it? Is something wrong?" Kaari asked, rubbing her head. Yusuke looked at the fox puzzlingly. Kurama's eyes were wide and scared, and as the detective watched, a single tear slid down Kurama's perfect cheek. He drew a shaky breath and covered his eyes with his hair.

_**Hiei…where are you? What's happening?**_ He asked silently.

_Can't talk much…too hard…has mental barrier…hurts…badly. Coming?_ The fire demon answered. Kurama shed more tears at the sound of Hiei's tortured voice in his head. That wench would pay for this. He would rip her apart himself.

_Such violent thoughts, Kurama._ Hiei chuckled halfheartedly in his head.

_**Rest now, Hiei. We're coming to get you. We'll be there by sunset. Don't…don't die, okay? I…and don't take this the wrong way…I love you.**_

_I understand, fox. Thank you. _

Kurama felt the mental link snap shut and sighed, gathering himself.

" Lets go. We're running out of time." He said. And with that he gave himself over to Youko and took off running. Yusuke and Kaari looked at each other. The detective watched as Kaari took on her wolf form. The transformation was faster than he had thought it would be and suddenly before him stood a big, shaggy, beautiful wolf.

"Nice…lets go, eh?" he said, raising an eyebrow. Kaari nodded her great head and together they bounded off after Youko Kurama.

_**Hang on, Hiei. I wont let you down.**_

………………………………………………………………………………

As the sun sank down below the tree line, Yusuke and the others finally reached the warehouse. Upon further inspection, Youko noted to himself and to the others that it was actually an old factory. As if to speed them up, a scream tore from the window, a scream that was undoubtedly Hiei's. Youko found a window and disappeared inside the building in a heartbeat, leaving Yusuke to kick the door down and Kaari to bound in alongside him. Yusuke huffed and when Kaari looked at him quizzically, he smiled. "I hate it when he runs off on his own like that."

Kaari issued a soft growl in response. They caught up with the fox at the top of the stairs and they all continued on to the next floor, unsure of what they were about to find.

…………………………………………………………………..

"AAAHHH!" Hiei screamed. Kokoro has resorted to much more cruel methods over the past few hours, and was delighted as Hiei's screams grew louder. He wasn't trying to mask his pain anymore. At this point, what was the use? There was no one there besides he and Kokoro, so why bother with the façade? At the moment she was using a very cruel looking cat of nine tails, and literally tearing chunks of his flesh from his body with every lash. The ends of the strips were all barbed and poisoned. Hiei couldn't even bear to open his eyes anymore. To see the things she was doing to the body he'd worked so hard to perfect was almost too much for him. _If they don't get here soon I'm not going to make it…_ he thought as she brought the whip down one more time. Not for the first time during all of this, he felt darkness start to cloud his vision. But just like all the other times, she snapped him back to full consciousness, this time using the butt of her weapon, and slamming it into his tender forehead. He cried out again, glaring at her from half crossed eyes. She smirked and then began beating the rest of him with the whip handle, hitting the few unmarred places hard enough to break the skin with nothing but blunt force. He grimaced. Momentarily exhausted, she leaned against the blood soaked table. And smiled at him.

"Well, hasn't this been fun?" she glanced outside the window and smiled. "It's almost over, my love. Almost."

At that moment, the door burst open. She turned in surprise to see a tall, beautiful fox demon, a huge wolf, and a human boy. She looked back at Hiei.

"Well, well. Looks like your friends made it after all. Too bad that I've changed my mind." And with that she slid a small vial from underneath the table, tipped it up and emptied the contents of it into her mouth, and then leaned over him. She touched his lips with hers, watching him jump at the unexpected touch. Kokoro kissed him long and slow, prying his lips open with her tongue and letting whatever was in that vial trickle down his throat. The minute the liquid touched his tongue he bucked against the restraints. She held his mouth closed with one hand. He fought swallowing the drink with every last ounce of strength he had left in his body. But she won out in the end and he eventually had to ingest it. He collapsed against the table, his chest heaving, his muscles twitching uncontrollably. He turned his head and gazed weakly at his friends, momentarily wondering where the stupid one was and why they had brought a pet. His eyes focused on Kurama and he smiled at the fox weakly before a fresh scream was torn from his chest. He was vaguely aware of Yusuke and the others launching an attack on Kokoro, and the small part of him that had been forced into loving her screamed warnings in his brain, but he was past caring. They could rip her to shreds for all he cared. Right now the pain was all that mattered, all that he could feel. He could hear himself screaming…could hear Youko's roar of anger as he got ahold of Kokoro…could hear the snarls from the big wolf as it helped too…could hear Yusuke calling for Kurama to back off…that she was already theirs, he didn't have to literally tear her apart…and heard her scream one last time as the fox took her life in the most brutal way he knew how.

Kurama must have changed back after he made the kill, because suddenly green eyes were searching his frantically for a sign of life. "Hiei?! Can you hear me?" he asked worriedly.

"I'm here, Kurama. Just…take…me home…please." Hiei rasped.

Then he knew nothing.

……………………………………………………………….

Was that long or is it just me? Cause it felt kind of long to me. Oh well…..this was kinda hard for me to write…if only because I love that little fire demon with all my heart and to have to hurt him was tear jerking…for me at least…that's why I kept the gore kinda low. The original draft of this chapter had all sorts of cruel things being described, but when I re-wrote it I cut it down. Anyway, thanks for reading and please don't forget to review! Chao!


	6. Chapter five:fevered feelings

Chapter five: fevered feelings

Hallo! I have returned with a new chapter! This one should be funny, because I've never seen Hiei with a fever, so I get to make stuff up! Woo hoo! Oh, and before I forget, I don't own the Yu Yu Hakusho cast. Sadly. Hn.

Anyway. I'm going to start writing now.

………………………………………………………………………..

Dawn broke over the treetops and covered the four teens in a rich golden glow. Kurama lay slumped against a tree trunk, where he'd fallen asleep after tending to the worst of Hiei's wounds. Kaari had taken over, using her own remedies to patch the lesser cuts and bruises. She was also wiping his forehead with a damp cloth, holding his head in her lap. She allowed herself to smile as she looked down at him. She didn't know what was going on with her, but as soon as she'd seen him lying there on that table, bleeding and helpless, the hatred and need to complete the job she'd taken before all of this, to catch him and turn him in, vanished, and she felt completely drawn to him. Was she falling in love with him, with this demon that she'd never really met? It was bizarre to think that. She wiped the rag across his forehead and noticed that his eyes were open but unfocused. Kurama stirred behind her and leaned up. She turned and looked at him.

"I bandaged him up the best I could. It should hold out until your healer Yukina can get to him and-"

"Don't tell her the secret!" Hiei suddenly yelled, sitting straight up. Kaari gently pushed him back down.

"Calm down, nobody's telling her anything." She murmured. For the first time Hiei seemed to notice her.

"Who're you?" he demanded in his usual manner, cocking an eyebrow.

"Uh…I'm Kaari. That's all you need to know." She stammered. He seemed to think that was sufficient, however, because he lapsed back into unconsciousness. Kurama chuckled at Karri's bemused expression.

"Don't try to understand him, Kaari. He's a puzzle even to me. Hmm. It seems that his fever has spiked again. I'm surprised that he wasn't talking out of his head just then." The fox murmured. Yusuke looked at him warily.

"Are you sure that's a fever? Because he is a fire demon, ya know…" the detective asked, arching an eyebrow. Kurama smiled at him.

"Yes, Yusuke. Fire apparitions don't usually break out in cold sweats or shiver." He replied. Yusuke studied Hiei for a moment.

"Oh yeah, he is shivering, isn't he? Huh. I guess it's just me hoping that he'll be ok." He said. Kaari looked at them.

" He is going to be okay, isn't he?" she asked worriedly. The corners of Kurama's jewel green eyes crinkled in a soft smile.

"I hope so. It appears that whatever she administered to him was designed to either kill him instantly or make him die slowly and painfully. Thank god it didn't work right. However, it did make him very sick. So yes, we're praying he'll get better. It may be tomorrow before the fever goes away." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I think I'll go back to sleep. You're doing such a good job at taking care of him, Kaari. Thank you. If you need one of us to take over don't hesitate to ask." Having said all he wanted to say, Kurama leapt up into a nearby tree and settled down for another nap.

…………………………………………………………………………

Hiei's fevered mind was thinking the most ridiculously absurd thoughts. This girl was strangely familiar…something about her scent…and she was pretty…gah, what was he thinking? Stupid fever. What gorgeous green eyes…what a beautiful smile…ah! Stop it, Hiei. And her fingers felt so nice on his forehead…god it was cold…that rag wasn't helping…stupid girl. Didn't know how to take care of a sick person. And who was to say he was sick? He just couldn't think straight and his head hurt and he was disoriented and it took all of his energy just to move an inch…ok. So maybe he was sick. Stupid woman. Making him sick with her twisted games…ugh…stupid onna. Baka onna. Why was his heart doing these stupid little flips? Stop it. He looked up at the girl through his lashes, so he could watch her and maintain the ruse of sleeping. She was looking down at him with an almost loving expression on her face. But there was also worry there. Why should she be worried about him? He watched as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and yawned quietly.

"Are you tired, onna?" he whispered, the chuckled as she jumped.

"I…uh… no." she answered. "Do you feel better?"

"Yes. You're the wolf, aren't you? The one that helped rescue me?" she smiled shyly.

"Yeah…" she murmured. He smiled.

"You make a very beautiful wolf. I was impressed." He said. Stop it, Hiei. What was it about this girl that made him want to be nice? "That's about all I was impressed with, though. You threw yourself into harms way for someone you don't even know. That was very stupid. And just in case you were wondering, no, I'm not grateful to you. Not in the least." There, that fixed things. Now maybe she would leave him alone and he could stop feeling so strange and get rid of the butterflies in his stomach. He got to his feet shakily. He caught a glimpse of tears welling up in her eyes, but ignored it. It was good that she was crying. No one needed to care about him. He tottered off to the tree where Kurama sat, and began to climb. When he reached the branch, he knelt in front of the fox, who opened his eyes slightly.

"You shouldn't be climbing, Hiei. You're not well."

Hiei smirked.

"I just wanted to thank you for tearing that whore's throat out for me. She was really beginning to annoy me." He said. Kurama could read everything in his eyes, though, and knew that the little fire demon was only saving face in case anyone was listening. So he opened the mental link between them and touched Hiei's mind with his own. _** Hiei…**_

_Kurama, thank you so much. I was so scared. I couldn't control my own feelings…and I think maybe I'm still being affected by that spell. I get this strange, fuzzy feeling inside when that girl Kaari touches me…_

_**No, Hiei, that's something else entirely. But did you really have to make her cry? She helped save you.**_

_I know. But no one should ever care for me that much. _

_**I care about you that much.**_

_I know, but that's different. You're…you. _

_**Come here, Hiei. **_ The fox reached for him and enveloped him in his arms, holding his close to his chest. Hiei welcomed the warmth of Kurama's arms, snuggling down against his chest. _**Hiei, I was so worried about you…we all were. **_

_I know. I could feel your worry. It hurt me because I knew it was probably my fault. I fell asleep one night and woke up there. I'm so sorry I scared you. Thank you for saving me. _

_**Hiei. Thanks should go to Kaari. She's a bounty hunter and she was following you. She was the only one who knew where you were. So you owe your life to her, not me or Yusuke. I only destroyed that woman, that vile creature, and it was really Youko that did that. It was Kaari that led us to you. You should thank her. **_

_Thanking people isn't in my nature fox. _

_**You just thanked me. **_

_Whatever. Let me sleep._

Kurama smiled down at Hiei as the fire demon drifted off to sleep. This was going to be interesting. If Kaari stayed.


	7. Chapter six: the king of denial

Chapter six- the king of denial

Kaari stood in "her" room, looking at all the things that the gang had bought for her: A dozen roses from Kurama, a box of chocolates from Yusuke, a stuffed cat from Kazuma Kuwabara (whom she had yet to meet), a card from Botan, a priceless jewel from Yukina (who she'd just discovered was Hiei's sister, which explained the earlier weirdness…), and finally a certificate from Koenma that said that she was an honorary member of the group. All gifts, and all begging her to stay. But nothing from Hiei. _Ungrateful wretch. I helped save his life. The least he could do is thank me. And apologize for making me cry._ And yet, could she blame him? After what Kurama had told her of the fire youkai's past, she'd be bitter and selfish too if she'd endured all of that. Shaking her head, she stripped out of her clothes and grabbed a towel. After checking the hall for prying eyes, she stepped out into the hall and headed for the bathroom.

She ducked inside quickly, turning and locking the door. A sound behind her made her jump and she spun around. Hiei stood behind her, leaning against the sink, also in nothing but a towel. One of his eyebrows was raised in a smirk. He crossed his arms.

"Haven't you ever heard of knocking?" he asked. She pulled the towel around her tighter.

"Haven't you ever heard of locking the door?" she retorted.

"Touché." He said. Then he actually smiled.

"I thought you were out sparring with Kurama or something." She queried. His brief smile was suddenly a frown again.

"I was. But I'm still too sore. So I decided to come back and take a shower." He gestured to the running water. "Well, ladies first." He jibbed, then started for the door. Taking a deep breath, Kaari stepped in front of the door knob, blocking it from him.

"Move." He demanded. She shook her head.

"You owe me an apology, Hiei." She stated firmly. He smirked.

"I owe you nothing." He said flatly, then moved for the door again. She spread her arms and blocked him again.

"Can I ask you something, Hiei?" she asked suddenly. He raised an eyebrow.

"Sure. Shoot." He muttered. She nodded down to the towel around his waist.

"How do you keep that up?" she knew that it sounded like a dumb question, but it had been bugging her the whole time she'd been in there. He hadn't touched it once.

"Why? Would you like to see what's under it?" and before she had a chance to argue he had dropped it. So help her, she tried not to look, but it was sooo tempting…she fought with her eyes but couldn't help looking at him. He smirked.

"Is it to your liking?" he quipped. She couldn't answer. Then she froze as the one thing that she had prayed wouldn't happen happened. Her own towel fell to the floor. Kaari had no idea what to do. She bent to grab it quickly but Hiei was faster. He stood with her towel in hand and stared down at her. What happened next was too fast for her to really follow. He threw the towel to the side, slid a foot under her, which caused her to fall, and then kneeled over her, penning her to the floor. Her eyes grew wide with uncertainty and fear, unsure of what was going to happen. He sneered.

"Are you afraid of me, Kaari?" he asked mockingly. Kaari struggled against him for a moment. He was incredibly strong and she gave up after a moment. He smirked again, then made a point of examining her body. "You're alright…not nearly beautiful enough for me…but I suppose you'll do for the moment…at least you'll probably be a good ----." Her breath quickened as she realized what was going on. _Oh, God. No. Please…god… _ Hiei laughed. "What if I did? What if I took you right now? Would you scream? Would you even fight me?" she whimpered as he nudged her hard with his knee. "I know how you feel Kaari. I know that you have feelings for me. So would you scream? Are those tears I see in your eyes? Are you going to cry? Please, Kaari. Fight me. Scream and struggle. That makes it more enjoyable. Why don't you answer me? Are you afraid of me? Are you? ANSWER ME, KAARI!" he yelled, his face only inches from hers. Silently she nodded, tears rolling down her cheeks. He frowned.

"Good. Stay that way." He let go of her and got to his feet. He wrapped the towel around himself and walked to the door, pausing with his hand on the knob.

"You needn't worry, Kaari. Why would I waste my time with you when I could have any woman I wanted?" and with that he left the room, slamming the door behind him, leaving Kaari sobbing silently on the cold tile.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Hiei leaned beck against the bathroom door and sighed heavily. _That has to be the single cruelest thing I've ever said to anyone…but it had to be done._ He shook his head and started down the hall to his room. _She cannot love me. I cant let her get to me…I cant allow myself to love her the way I want to. It's too dangerous for her. _ He sighed again as he walked into his room and threw himself down on the bed. Staring at the wall he tried desperately to rid his mind of her tortured eyes as she'd looked up at him, so scared, so hurt. That was what had hit him hardest, the pain in her eyes as he'd told her that she wasn't worth his time…that she was less than beautiful…the absolute agony reflected in her eyes as he'd lied to her in the cruelest way. _Forgive me, Kaari. But it's what's best._ And her body…god. What man wouldn't want her? He was no different. His body yearned to feel hers pressed to it…if he could have allowed himself to he would have told her just how much he did care for her instead of degrading her. He would have taken her in his arms and kissed her and then made love to her right then and there instead of scaring the mess out of her…but he could never do that. And he certainly couldn't go back to the bathroom and make up for all his harsh words and fix everything…that would just confuse her more. He groaned and buried his face in the pillow. This girl was turning his world upside down, making him think things he'd never thunk before…was he really in love? Yes, he decided. That must be it. He was in love with her and there was no denying it. Except that there was. It was in his code. He could not, absolutely could NOT fall in love. Love ruined things. Love made you careless and soft. Love made you do things without thinking. It was stupid and pointless and got one nowhere. Yoko Kurama, the greatest bandit in history, was stuck in a pathetic human body now because he allowed himself to love that stupid human woman that thought she was his mother. No, there was nothing good about this Love thing. What was so great about it, anyway?

"Everything alright, Hiei?" he jumped and looked up to see Kurama leaning in the doorway.

"I don't want to talk about it right now." Hiei muttered.

"Are you sure? You look depressed…" the fox quietly noted.

"I'm fine. Now go away."

"Ok." Kurama said softly and then was gone.

Hiei groaned into his pillow again and rolled onto his side to face the window. He sighed and set his thoughts to more pleasant things, like killing people for fun.


	8. Chapter seven: my little runaway

Chapter seven- my little runaway

While Hiei was sulking away in his room, in the next room Kaari was lying on the bed, staring at the wall and willing herself to wake up from what could only be a nightmare. Love didn't go this horribly wrong in the real world. If a girl wanted a certain guy, she went and got him. She shouldn't be spurned as badly as she had only minutes ago. Her pillow was soaked and her eyes hurt. And her arm stung where she'd just pinched herself, checking to see if she might be asleep.

Nope. She was very awake. She sighed heavily, too emotionally drained to do anything else. She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling, replaying the whole situation in her head. If he hadn't been ripping her heart to shreds, the feeling of him lying there on top of her would have been kind of nice. But she couldn't enjoy that sensation with his words ringing in her ears. Such cruel words for someone to say… she felt tears well up in her eyes again as his voice rang in her ears. There was a quiet tap at the door, then Kurama stuck his head in.

"Hey, you ok?" he asked, genuine concern in his eyes. She turned her face away from him.

"I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" she said in the steadiest voice she could muster. He fully entered the room and closed the door softly behind him. He came and sat down on the bed next to her, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"You were crying. What's wrong, Kaari?" he probed. She rolled over on her side and glared at the wall.

"I wasn't crying. You're crazy." She muttered. He chuckled.

"I may be crazy but my nose isn't. You can't hide from it." He said softly. She rolled over to face him. He frowned at the sight of her red, puffy eyes, and then pulled her into his arms easily. What was with these guys and them all being incredibly strong? "Was it Hiei again?" he asked quietly, almost to quiet for her to hear, like he was ashamed to have come to that conclusion. She nodded and he hugged her close. "Kaari, I wish that I could say that he didn't mean whatever he said and you believe it, but you wont. But he didn't mean it, I assure you." He said in her ear. Suddenly, Kaari thought of something. She leapt up from the bed, jerked her tank top down, and pointed her finger at him.

"This is all your fault, Kurama! If you hadn't guilted me into this, none of this would have happened. You stupid fox! If you'd just let me give you directions and gone to get him yourself, I would never have been involved. And I never would have fallen in love with him. Your all a bunch of stupid, conniving, heartless, fake weirdoes here and by far you're the worst. And he's the second worst. I hate him! I hate you! I hate that stupid toddler that sits in that stupid chair sucking some stupid pacifier and giving stupid orders. I hate everybody in this stupid dojo! But most of all, I hate you two!" she yelled. Throughout her whole tirade Kurama had been silent. He looked away.

"If that's what you believe, then I wont argue. But what will you do now?" he whispered. She stood there, chest heaving with anger, limbs shaking, and fists clenched, thinking. Finally, she took a deep breath.

"I'm leaving." She stated simply. Then she picked up her weapons and smashed the window, giving Kurama one last look before leaping out into the trees.

………………………………………………………………………….

"I'm leaving."

Hearing those two words jarred Hiei from his reverie. He jumped up from the bed as he heard the shattering of glass, Kaari smashing the window. He was in her room a second later, following Kurama's gaze through the open window.

"She's gone." The fox stated quietly. Hiei looked at him incredulously.

"Really? I hadn't noticed." He quipped sarcastically. Kurama turned sad eyes on him, those jewels full of concern.

"Where do you think she'll go?" he asked. Hiei looked out the window.

"She'll go back to her tribe." He answered.

"Tribe?" Kurama asked. Hiei nodded slowly.

"Bounty hunters of her caliber usually live in tightly knit packs, or tribes. The have rules, codes, the works…they weed out anyone who would threaten…" he suddenly trailed off. Then he breathed a single word. "Damn." His eyes grew wide as he stood there, calculating.

"What, Hiei?" Kurama probed, standing up.

Hiei looked at him, worry written in his crimson eyes "They get rid of anyone that they consider a threat to the tribe…if she goes back…"

"They will consider her a traitor…" Kurama concluded. Hiei nodded grimly.

"They'll kill her." And then he was gone, leaving only a faint black smudge in the air where he had been a second before as he bolted out the broken window.

………………………………………………………………………………

Kaari ran straight to her family's hut and threw the door open, slamming it shut behind her. She leaned against it and squeezed her eyes shut against a throbbing headache. After a moment she opened them and looked around her small house. Her family was the most esteemed in the tribe, and her house was quite large by comparison. But it was still nothing compared to Genkai's huge dojo, where she'd stayed for the past few days….ugh. She had to stop thinking about that place, those people that had come to mean so much to her so suddenly…she looked up and saw her mother sitting by the fire…staring off into space…that was weird…she hadn't even noticed Kaari come in?

"Mom?" Kaari called. Her mom looked at her then, and shot to her feet, but didn't come any closer.

"Kaari…oh, my baby. Why did you come back?" she asked, a look of pure anguish on her face.

"Huh? I thought you'd be glad to see me…what's wrong?" she asked, perplexed. Tears started falling from her mother's eyes unchecked. She sobbed heavily.

"Th- they-they're g-going t-to k-k-k-kill you!" the older woman wailed, falling to her knees. Kaari looked at her in complete confusion.

"Who is?" she asked, her mental hackles rising.

"Th-th-the c-c-council...they decided this morning…" her mom started sobbing again.

"Why???" she questioned further, certain that her mother had lost her mind.

"Be-be-because-"

"Because you're a threat to the pack." A voice growled from the darkness of the corner. A moment later a huge wolf demon stepped out into the dim firelight. He was the best hunter/tracker in the tribe, and totally ruthless. His real name had been forgotten long before Kaari was born and now everybody referred to him as Ripper, even his wife. Kaari felt her breathing quicken suddenly as her father stood before her. He had no compassion to speak of, not even on family, and Kaari knew that. Finding her voice, she stood up straighter.

"How so?" she challenged him. He smiled- smiled!- cruelly at his daughter, showing one gleaming fang.

"You betrayed us, Kaari. You fraternized with your prey, you helped him, and…you fell in love with him. Just the first would have gotten you in trouble, but falling in love with a criminal? Kaari, how low could you sink?" he snarled.

She gulped. "What's gonna happen to me, dad?" she felt oddly submissive…ready to just bare her neck and show him that he was indeed boss, ready to whimper and beg him to spare her, that her feelings for Hiei weren't real, that she could forget all about him and then Ripper could forget and they would all live happily ever after. Her mother whimpered in the corner, afraid for her only daughter's life. Ripper scoffed at Kaari.

"You are no daughter of mine. I was going to deal with you myself as soon as you came home, but the council has asked me to turn you in. You're to be put to death at dawn tomorrow." He said calmly, as if it were really no big deal.

That submissive feeling she'd felt earlier? Yeah, it was totally gone.

She gathered all her strength and, staring her father dead in the eye, kicked the door down from behind her. She grit her teeth as the impact jarred her ankle, but showed no other sign of it. She looked at Ripper. He seemed unimpressed, but narrowed his eyes at her and a low growl started up from deep in his chest. She listened to the low rumble, her mother's sobs of agony, and her own pounding heart for a second longer. Then she bolted.

She ran for the trees, then skidded to a stop as a howl rose in the air and twenty or so wolf demons materialized from the edge of the forest. She turned to her right quickly, and then shifted into her wolf form as she ran. She could hear them right on her heels and she sped up. Something thudded into her left shoulder, an arrow? She didn't know and didn't really care, the pain she could deal with, the wound could be healed; death was not something she fancied. However, the wound was making it difficult to run faster, the projectile working itself deeper into the joint. She tried to ignore it. She realized a second later that she should have been paying attention to where she was going instead of blocking the pain as Ripper, huge and heavy in his wolf form, slammed into her right side from out of nowhere. He pinned her down and went for her throat, but she squirmed away and started running again. He was on top of her a second later, his sheer mass knocking her flat. They rolled and she whimpered as the arrow was pushed deeper into her shoulder when the shaft snapped. Ripper went for her neck again. His teeth closed on thin air over and over again until he finally got a hold on the loose skin there. He ripped her open and she snarled, clawing at him. He released her neck and closed those powerful jaws around her front leg. She felt herself almost pass out as she heard the bones break and a wave of nausea washed over her. She lost control and cried out as her body was forced to change back and she was left cowering naked under the huge black wolf that she had once called Daddy, her shattered wrist still in his mouth. He dropped it and stepped away. She caught a glimpse of the demented pride in his eyes before two other hunters scooped her up. One of them pressure pointed her and she went limp in their grasp, knowing that it was all over.


	9. Chapter eight: explode

Sorry that last chapter was so long. I tried to put a bit more detail in that fight scene, although it was hard to write. So yeah. On a side note, this chapter may seem choppy and hard to follow but I wrote it so it would seem like it was more in her head. Her thoughts are racing, and having personally experienced racing thoughts and having been put on meds to deal with it I know that there are no punctuation marks there. So that's why is all jumbled together.

Chapter eight- explode

Kaari opened her eyes in complete darkness. She winced when she tried to roll over and all her wounds came back to hit her. She let her eyes adjust to the dark and then looked around. As she had guessed, she was in one of the cells that they used for prisoners._ Guess I'm a prisoner now… _ she thought sadly. She sat up painfully, feeling the rough blanket they'd covered her nakedness with and pulling it tight around her. She felt behind her with her good hand until she found a wall, and then leaned against it with a heavy sigh. She turned her head against the cool stone. She noticed a small hole in the wall not very far from her face and craned her neck to peer through it. Stars glittered in the night sky, and she felt a pang of fear as she noticed the first pale signs morning creeping through the blue. That meant that she had an hour or so to live. She felt a drop hit her arm and wondered at it for a moment before realizing that it was a tear. Why was she crying? She'd been raised to never fear death, but this seemed different from any other time she'd faced the reaper. This wasn't right. This was so unfair it made her want to scream. And how could her own father do this? Memories of sitting on his lap…laughing and calling him papa and daddy and playing with that black mane of hair as he'd laughed and her mother had smiled at their antics and then she was training and he was showing her how to use different weapons and putting her small hand inside his massive palm and how safe she had felt, how confident that she could do absolutely anything as long as he believed in her…but those memories were fuzzy, and the memory of him speaking her death sentence so calmly and then him towering over her, a big black snarling monster, crunching her bones in his jaws…those memories from today were so incredibly vivid that they hurt. She hung her head and cried. There was so much life left in her…so many things to do, so many people to meet…so much love to give…for some reason Hiei's face was attached to that last thought. Did she really love him? She pondered for merely seconds before she realized that she did. She wanted to be with him, but she knew that he didn't want to be with her. His words earlier in the bathroom had proved that. But still, she'd rather bear Hiei's cruel words right now than be facing death at the hands of her tribe for falling in love with him. She thought about finding a sharp rock and opening a vein or maybe suffocating herself with the blanket or beating her head against the stone until she bled to death anything to keep from facing the council and their noose tomorrow. Providing they used a noose. She fell back into her own mind, imagining all the cruel things that they could do to her. Eventually she began to fear death less, to welcome the thought of dying, to laugh at the thought of these stupid people ending her life for her. And what kind of life did she have now anyway? Her tribe thought that she was a traitor, the person she loved couldn't care less about her. She didn't have a life to live for anymore. She laughed quietly to herself. _ Vanity, sayeth the teacher, all is vanity._ She mentally quoted the human King Solomon. And indeed, all was vanity. Such a stupid, vain world. You chased after your dreams like your life depended on them, and then when you couldn't achieve them all was doomed. What were her dreams? She couldn't remember what she'd wanted as a child. To be the best bounty hunter in the pack, in the world? To be a heartless killer like her father? Surely not…there had to have been something…all those were dreams that had she'd been forced to adopt as soon as she was old enough to understand the language…she'd wanted, like every other little girl, to be a princess and have a prince…to live in complete peace with everyone…those dreams had all but disappeared. Once her father had seen that weakness in her, he'd quite literally beaten it out of her. She –_ What IS that smell?_

The acrid smell of burning flesh filled her nostrils suddenly. She had a split second to close her eyes before a flash of light as bright as the sun erupted outside her cell. She heard screams from out there, and wondered what was going on. She opened her eyes just in time to see a huge, black, flaming dragon engulf the guards on either side of the hall, completely obliterating them to nothing but smudges on the floor. Then it turned to her. It shot through the bars toward her. Her eyes grew wide as the thing bore down on her. She could feel the heat from the beast. It stopped a foot in front of her, and she grimaced, the smell of her singed hair assaulting her sensitive nose.

"I said, NO!" she heard a gruff voice command. Then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, the dragon vanished. She caught her breath as Hiei strode into her line of vision, his right arm smoking slightly. He smirked and looked at his hand. "That thing was never meant to be controlled. I'm sorry. Are you hurt?" he asked. Kaari nodded dumbly, too surprised to speak. His face grew angry. "Can you walk?" he more commanded than asked. She got to her feet shakily, trying to keep both her balance and the blanket from slipping. She swayed, steadied herself, and took a step towards him. She gasped as the ground rushed up to meet her. Hiei was beside her in an instant, catching her. "Alright, scratch that. You're not _walking_ out of here. At least not on two feet. Can you change?" she shook her head.

"Wrist is crushed." She said simply, showing her arm to him. He frowned even worse and huffed.

"Guess I'm carrying you. Put your good arm around my neck." He said, scooping her up effortlessly. She did as instructed. "Ready?" he asked. She nodded. "Alright, hold on." He muttered. He started running, getting faster and faster until everything became a blur. The sky was getting lighter, and Kaari made a mental note to thank the fire demon for saving her as soon as she could.

"You should rest. I'll wake you when we get to where we're going." Hiei said softly. She looked up at him.

"Where are we going?" she whispered. He smiled to himself.

"Somewhere safe." He answered.

"Genkai's?" she queried. He shook his head.

"Rest, Kaari. You'll know soon enough." He pulled her closer to his body, and she rested her head against his shoulder. She was asleep in seconds.

………………………………………………………………….

Hiei glanced at the sleeping girl in his arms and felt the war inside him raging. This girl…he wasn't sure about her. She was changing him inside…not changing his character, per se, but changing his heart. All he wanted to do was protect her. And nothing else. It freaked him out a little bit, because he'd never had these feelings for anyone except Yukina…and she was his sister, so it was excusable. But with this girl…he had a different sort of protectiveness about…could it be that he did, in fact, love her? He stared at the air in front of him as his heart sped up. This was going to take some getting used to.


	10. Chapter nine: safe haven

Chapter nine: safe haven

"Kaari, wake up. We're here." Hiei said softy. The girl's eyes flickered open and for a moment He almost lost himself in their deep green, not a jewel green like Kurama had, but a forest green, reminiscent of the home she'd just lost. Kaari looked around, her eyes landing on a large tree right in front of them.

"Wow… you really do live in a tree, don't you?" she muttered.

"What was that?" Hiei asked, arching an eyebrow. She looked up at him innocently.

"Nothing. Ahhhhh!" she cried out as pain flared in her wrist. She cried out a second time when she grabbed her wrist and thus strained the wounds on her shoulder and neck. Hiei looked down at her in pity.

"Try to be still, ok? I don't want you to bleed all over me." He muttered. He jumped up onto a low branch, and then another and another until he was midway up the tree.

"I'm going to have to set you down for a minute, ok?" he said, not waiting for a response before sitting her down softly on the rough bark. She clung to the branch for dear life. She was a wolf, not a monkey, and she did not belong up this high.

"Scared of heights?" Hiei laughed. She nodded and stuck her tongue out at him. "Don't worry about falling. I'll catch you." He said quietly. He dug his nails into the bark and then leaned to the left, sliding the bark back to reveal a doorway. He scooped her up, chuckling at her shocked expression and heading through the doorway. Beyond the doorway was pitch-blackness. Hiei leaned against a knot next to the hole and it slid shut. At the same time the door slid to a close torches ignited along the walls, revealing a staircase that spiraled down into the unknown. They started down the stairs, descending for what felt like an eternity. Finally they came to a door. Hiei pushed it open and stepped inside. Kaari looked around her in bewilderment. She appeared to be in an underground mansion. The place was huge and well furnished. The color scheme was one of sharp contrasts, all blacks and whites and deep purples and reds.

"Welcome to my house." Hiei said as he paused at the "front" door to the house.

"Wow… Hiei… it's beautiful…" Kaari breathed. Hiei began walking. They passed through what she supposed was the living room, then what was obviously the kitchen, full of economy sized appliances and lots and lots of knives. They came to a bathroom and Hiei set her on her feet. He walked over to the shower and turned the water on, then turned to her. She stepped forward sheepishly, unsure of what he was going to do. He pulled his shirt off and then reached for the ratty blanket that was the only thing separating Kaari's body from the rest of the world. She drew back slightly. He frowned.

"Kaari…I assure you that I'm not going to do anything to you. I need to clean your wounds before I can patch you up. And you need a shower. Come here." He commanded. Taking a deep breath she stepped toward him. She watched his eyes as he undid the crude knot she'd made in the cell. As the rags fell away, his eyes didn't flicker once anywhere that she didn't want them to go. He stepped into the shower, his pants still on, and then held his hand out to her. She took it and he helped her into the shower. The warm water felt so good on her skin, and she closed her eyes for a moment. She started as she felt his fingers brush her collarbone, probing at one of the wounds on her neck, cleaning it of the dirt and grime. She winced at the sting of the soap, but soon got used to it. He rested his hands on her shoulders, and she felt stronger, somehow. They just stood like that for a while; letting the water wash them clean. Finally the pipes ran cold. Hiei flitted out from behind her and grabbed a towel from the cabinet and was back beside her wrapping it around her before she even knew what had happened. She smiled. The towel was warm and fluffy and black. She pulled it closer around her with her good hand.

"Can you walk now?" he asked. She nodded.

"I think so…" she said, taking an experimental step. After she didn't fall, she took another, and then finally made it to the bathroom door.

"Kaari…"

" I can do it myself, Hiei." She said softly. He nodded and walked down the hall, turning and beckoning her to follow him. She did, and a moment later they came to a closed door. Hiei hesitated at the door, turning his eyes to her very seriously.

"Kaari, what I'm about to show you has never been seen by anyone's eyes but mine, not even Kurama has been in here. And what you see in here, you must never reveal to anyone, okay?" he said solemnly.

"Why not? Is it something that could get you in trouble?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.

"HA! No, no, nothing like that. It's just…you'll just have to see it." He laughed, turning the door handle. He motioned for her to go in, and she did just that. To say that she was taken aback would be an understatement. A huge bedroom was spread out before her. The walls were sharply contrasted to those of the rest of the house. This room was a beautiful cerulean blue, all except for the furthest wall, which was white. All of the furniture was ebony, and was polished to gleaming. But it was what was against the wall to her left that absolutely took her breath away. A huge four-poster bed, complete with drapes, sat there. The bedding was the purest white that she'd ever seen, topped with a down comforter, and the drapes were a deep purple. She was stunned. This room was the proof that Hiei did have a soft side, that he did have a heart. That not everything was black and white to him, and that he did not, in fact, sleep in a tree. She felt him probing her mind for a reaction and turned to him.

"Am I right?" she asked. He nodded silently. She took a step towards him. "Hiei, why are you showing me this?"

Hiei's eyes softened minutely. "Because this is your room now."

"What?!" she exclaimed. He shrugged.

"For tonight, and for however long you wish to stay." He stated simply. She looked down at her toes.

"And how long am I staying?" she asked, raising her eyes up to his. He shrugged again.

"Until you decide its time for you to leave. I'm not going to kick you out."

Tears welled up in her eyes. "Hiei, where else am I supposed to go? I don't have a home. I…I just…I just want a home." She started crying, leaning into him. He put his arms around her, quite unsure of how THIS was supposed to work, but suddenly willing to let the instincts that had been ignored previously to take control. He pulled her close, lowering his mouth to her ear.

"Kaari, as long as I live, you will have a home, right here, in these arms." Those words sounded so strange coming from his mouth that he was almost surprised when Kaari responded by lifting her tear-filled eyes up to his and whispering "Thank you, Hiei."

Hiei didn't know what to think of his present situation. Here he was, holding this girl that made him…_weak…_this girl that had the ability to affect him in such a way that no one ever had…the only thing that he could think to do was to return her thanks.

"Thank you, Kaari."

When she looked up at him in surprise and confusion, he simply pressed the back of his hand against her mouth and smiled.

"Go sit down and let me bandage you." He said, gesturing to the floor. She did as told, all the while wondering what Hiei was up to.


	11. Chapter ten: uncharacteristic

Ok guys. I have an injured finger so if I make any words that don't make sense…you know. Ok I guess I should say this now. I don't own yu yu hakusho blah blah blah.

Chapter ten: uncharacteristic

Kaari sat cross-legged in the floor of the room that Hiei had just given her, waiting for Hiei to come in and tend to her wounds. She was admiring the thick plush of the white carpet when the door opened. She looked up, expecting it to be Hiei. She almost fainted when Kurama walked in. She pulled the towel up around herself even tighter, blushing. Kurama's charming smile appeared, showing amusement at Kaari's present predicament.

"Where's Hiei? Why are you here?" she sputtered. He crossed the room and sat down in front of her, opening the bag he'd brought with him.

"Hiei…was called away. So he called me to come work on you. Now, let's get this wrist bound." Kurama took her crushed wrist in his soft hands and slowly fed ki into it. Kaari wasn't used to this type of healing so at first it felt funny, but gradually she relaxed. Kurama's eyes me hers and he suddenly leaned forward, his lips close to her ear.

"Kaari, I'm glad that you're alright. And I want you to know…that I love you. Not romantically, or anything like that, I just do." He murmured, then kissed her on the cheek as he pulled back and returned to fixing her wrist. She looked at him. This fox was the closest thing she had to a friend on the team, besides Hiei, and she didn't know if they were friends or not. But Kurama's simple statement of the fact that he cared about her touched her. She'd never had close friends before, much less friends that loved her.

"Kaari? Are you ok?" Kurama's warm voice brought her back to reality.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking. Hey Kurama?" she asked.

"Yeah?" he said. She smiled.

"Thank you for being my friend." She said softly, shyly. Kurama looked up at her again and smiled back.

"No need to thank me for something that I can't control. Now, could you turn around or would you rather me get up and go around you? It's up to you." He asked her. She nodded and twisted herself around until she was facing the bed. A pull at her shoulder made her look down at the wound on her neck. It was already bandaged. _Kurama must have patched it up while I was of in la la land… _she thought. She winced slightly as Kurama rubbed a strong smelling ointment over the gash in her shoulder blade. It wasn't a bad smell, very herbal like, but it still almost overwhelmed her.

"I know its rather obnoxious smelling, but it will have you healed up in no time." Kurama said from behind her. Kaari had almost forgotten how strong a fox's nose was, much less a spirit fox like Kurama. As he rubbed the bandage down onto her skin and began work on the next, and Kaari examined her wrist, a comfortable silence fell in between them.

"He loves you, you know."

Kaari started at the words, taken aback. "What? Who?" she demanded. Kurama's voice remained calm and soft as he answered her.

"Hiei. He loves you."

Kaari stared at the bed blankly, so many thoughts running through her head that it was difficult to think too long on any particular one.

"I…I…really?" she finally stuttered.

"Yes. But I know you won't believe it until he says it…I just wanted you to know so you wouldn't think that you were wasting your time. Now, you should get some rest. Hiei should be back soon, but for now, sleep." Kurama helped her up and led her to the huge bed, offering her a step up on the tall mattress. He tucked the fluffy comforter around her, kissed her forehead, and started for the door. He paused to look at her for a moment, glad that they were no longer enemies. He smiled to himself and left her to her thoughts.

Kaari lay in the warmth of the massive comforter and her still damp towel and stared the canopy. This was going to take sometime for her to straighten out. The knowledge that Hiei might possibly have feelings for her was a lot to handle on top of everything else. She _had_ begun to think that her own feelings toward the fire demon were a waste of time, that it was a futile thing to love the hard-hearted forbidden child…but now…now what? Did she let him know that she loved him or did she just play it cool? She rolled onto her side and grabbed one of the curtains with her good hand, pulling it shut and embracing the bed in a warm darkness. She lay back down and stared at the deep purple velvet between her fingers, still lost in thought. Slowly, her mind sank into the first real sleep she'd had in days, and her brain finally gave up worrying the problems she was facing.

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Hiei jumped when the cell phone in his pocket started ringing shrilly, momentarily unable to locate it. When he finally found it, he flipped it open, adjusting the weight on his arms to where he could talk easier.

"Hello?" he grunted.

"You sound less than thrilled." Kurama's voice rang in his ear. Hiei smiled inwardly.

"Fox, have I ever told you that I hate shopping? You could have at least let me bring Yusuke instead of these three girls…" he muttered, glancing up from the bench where he was sitting at Botan, Keiko, and Yukina. They were thumbing through racks of clothing busily. Kurama laughed again.

"Somehow I think that Yusuke lacks the skills needed to pick out clothes for a teenage girl."

"Then why did I have to come? How is she, by the way?" he asked, glaring at a little girl that stood gawking at him, over-laden with shopping bags, from across the shop. She quickly scurried off.

"She's asleep. I told her you were called away, but would be back later."

"Good. I think we're almost done so I'll call you when we're on our way back. Don't let anything happen to her, Kurama." He added quietly, not wanting anyone to hear. Never the less, Yukina turned to look at him as he closed the phone. They locked eyes for a moment before Hiei's guilt forced his eyes down. He pretended to examine a jacket from one of the bags as the koorime walked over to him.

"You really care about her, don't you, Mr. Hiei?" she said softly, sitting down beside him.

"Hn. I suppose." Hiei said. Yukina put a hand to his cheek and made him turn his head towards her.

"Mr. Hiei, if I ever find my brother, I hope he's a lot like you." She said, smiling. Hiei just pulled away from her cool fingers and grunted. Yukina rose and rejoined Botan and Keiko. Hiei frowned. He knew he was going to have to tell her sooner or later, he just didn't know how to go about it. What if she hated him for lying to her all this time? What if she didn't want him to be her brother, after seeing how cruel and heartless he was? Standing, he dismissed the thought of her ever hating anyone. He stretched, more than ready to leave this stupid mall.

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"_**Hahahahahahaha. This is too funny! Hiei? In love?" **_ Yoko's harsh laugh in his head caused Kurama to grimace. Recently after he'd learned to call the youko form at will, the fox had begun to talk to him. It was quite annoying, sometimes, as the bandit had a bad habit of being a smart ass. Kurama mentally frowned at his raucous alter ego. _You saw the way he rushed off after her, how he saved her, and how he's talking care of her now. How can you deny it? _ He responded.

_**Hmm. I suppose you could be right. I just don't get it. Demons mate for power. Why then would he choose that girl? She's nowhere close to his level. She's strong, and pretty, I'll give her that, but still…**_ the youko mused. Kurama smirked.

_Sometimes, Yoko, power isn't everything. And I know that Hiei isn't the type to fall in love, but he's surprised us before…_

Kurama jumped as the door opened and a very aggravated Hiei stomped in, over-laden with shopping bags. The fox rose to his feet quickly to help his friend, but withdrew his hand when Hiei just glared at him.

"Hn. I've made it this far, I might as well carry it the rest of the way." He snapped as he waddled down the hall. Kurama couldn't help but laugh at the image of his oldest friend almost completely hidden by the spoils of his day out.

"At least let me get the door for you, Hiei." Kurama said, following him down the hall. He grasped the door handle before the fire demon had a chance to argue. With a hateful glance, Hiei stepped into the room he'd given Kaari. He turned to tell Kurama that he could go, but found only empty space where the fox had stood moments before. Sighing, Hiei gently sat the bags down on the floor and closed the door as quietly as possible, not wanting to wake the sleeping wolf demon. He walked over to the big dresser and started opening drawers, pulling out the few possessions he had, and replacing them with the new wardrobe he'd bought for Kaari. Lost in thought, he didn't notice when she slipped out of the bed and padded across the floor to him. Only when she slipped her arms around his neck and pressed herself against his back did he become aware that she was awake. He stiffened, unsure of what she was doing. Her actions seemed benign enough, but his life had taught him to expect the worst from people. She could rip his throat out at that angle. He tensed even more when she started nuzzling the back of his neck, the t-shirt that he wore making it all the easier for her.

"Kaari…what are you doing?" he managed to say finally. When she didn't answer, he turned to face her. He raised an eyebrow when he realized that she was asleep._ She's sleepwalking…how odd…_ gently, without waking her, he picked her up and carried her over to the bed. The bed was too big for him to just lay her on it, so he had to very carefully climb up on it with her still in his arms. He laid her out on the bed, trying hard not to look at her naked form. As he was pulling the covers around her, her eyes suddenly opened. Hiei mentally cursed, and prayed she wouldn't scream. She didn't, but her eyes did widen immensely when she realized that he was next to her.

"Hiei…" she murmured groggily. He bit his lip

"Kaari, I…I mean…it isn't what you think." He stumbled the words out.

"Was I sleepwalking?" she asked point blankly. He breathed a sigh of relief and nodded.

"Do you do that often?" he asked. She ran a hand through her hair as she sat up, mindful of the sheet.

"Only when I'm stressed, although I've done it several times. Once, before my trials to see if I was good enough to join the hunters, I woke up in my dad's arms. He later told me that I'd had one foot over the edge of a cliff when he found me." Her voice broke when she said "dad" and she turned away and silently hoped that she wouldn't cry in front of Hiei again. He was going to start thinking that she was weak.

"Kaari, you aren't weak." Hiei stated. She turned towards him quickly.

"Did you just read my mind?" she demanded. He looked at her squarely.

"No, I guessed. It just seemed like something you would think." When she looked at him pointedly, he sighed.

"Ok, I read your mind. But that doesn't matter. You aren't weak, and you should just be glad you received such praise from me." He said. She frowned at his cockiness.

"I don't need you to remind me that you're stronger than I am."

"Well, obviously, you do." He said quickly, becoming annoyed. She growled at him.

"And you obviously need someone to knock you down a notch or two!" she yelled, lunging at him, sheets all but forgotten as she caught him off guard and knocked him over, tickling him. He was quick to recover, flipping her over onto her side and doing something that he could safely say he'd never done before, tickling her in return. They were both laughing as they tumbled over and over on the bed, each trying to best the other in a battle of fingers. Hiei won out in the end, sitting on her and pinning her hands at her sides with his knees.

"Ha!" he panted, grinning smugly. Kaari just laughed up at him, and he couldn't help thinking how cute she was just then, with her hair all disheveled and her cheeks flushed. He wondered if that was what she would look like after they'd made love…where had that come from? Hiei was taken aback by the random thought, and it must have shown on his face, because Kaari reached up and touched his cheek suddenly.

"Are you ok?" she asked, a worried look in her eyes.

Hiei just stared at her, unable to think straight anymore. "Kaari…" he suddenly breathed. Apparently he wasn't able to control either his tongue or his brain anymore, because they were both disobeying him wildly.

"Hiei?" she said his name so softly, sounding so worried, that it brought him back to reality. He blinked at her, once, twice. Then, without any warning, he lowered his face down to hers until their noses touched. He sniffed at her, and she giggled.

"Hiei, what're-" she began but was cut off in mid sentence as his mouth pressed against hers. She could feel his lips tremble and wondered vaguely if he'd ever kissed anyone before. That thought was pushed aside as she realized that Hiei was kissing her.

Hiei really had no idea what he was doing, only that he'd seen people do it on the box that they called a Television, and that they always seemed to enjoy it. The whole situation was rather awkward for him, and he hated that his lips were trembling so badly. In truth he was scared. He had no idea why he'd done it, just that it seemed like the only thing that he could think to do, the only thing that he wanted to do. Embarrassed, he pulled away. Kaari was disappointed; she'd liked the feel of his lips against hers, even if it was kind of awkward. Before she had a chance to say anything, he was gone, and the slamming of the door and the bed curtains waving in the wind he'd created was all that he left.

She sat up and groaned. That wasn't at all how she'd imagined their first kiss to be. Catching sight of the shopping bags strewn across the floor, she slid off the bed and walked over to them. She examined the new wardrobe Hiei had obviously bought for her and again her eyes began to burn with tears. He really did care about her…

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Hiei darted from the room and flew straight into Kurama, who was coming out of the bathroom. One look at Hiei's ridiculously and the youko burst out into peals of laughter that he didn't even bother to conceal.

"IT'S NOT FUNNY FOX!" Hiei exploded at his friend. Kurama calmed down almost instantly.

"Alright, Hiei, what did you do?" Kurama said evenly. Hiei seemed to calm down, at least a little, and then sighed heavily, running a hand through his black spikes.

"I kissed her, Kurama."

The silence that followed was full of electricity. Then Kurama burst into a full-throated laugh that had him doubling over, clutching his sides. Hiei just stared at him angrily.

"Fox…" he growled.

Kaari's door opened, and she stepped out wearing one of the outfits that Hiei had bought. Crossing her arms, she arched an eyebrow in the boys' direction.

"Alright, you guys, what's so funny?" she demanded. Hiei huffed and turned on his heel, leaving the two alone in the hallway.

"So… He kissed you?" Kurama asked. Kaari blushed furiously, unsure of how to answer.

"Uh…umm…I…yeah." She sputtered. Kurama grinned.

"Mmm. Interesting." Kurama said with a smirk.

Kaari punched him in the arm and walked off after Hiei.

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Sorry this was so long, guys. I lost track of the length. I hope you enjoyed it.


	12. Chapter eleven: torched

Chapter eleven: torched

Uh oh…. I smell a lemon! Definitely not -18.  
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Kaari followed Hiei through a door, finding herself in the kitchen. Black marble slabs made up the floor, the walls were flawlessly white, and all of the appliances were stainless steel. Hiei was leaning against the island, the rolling counter in the center of the room, arms crossed across his chest.

"Hiei?" she said quietly, unsure of what his mood was.

"Huh?" he grunted. She started to leave, then thought better of it.

"I… I was wondering if …back there…" she stammered, fumbling with her hands.

"Meant anything?" Hiei finished the thought for her. She looked up at him. He met her gaze evenly, and then turned around.

"No." he said softly.

Kaari felt like she'd been struck. She felt tears sting her eyes, but refused to let them fall. She turned away from him and pushed the door open. She'd made it to the living room when she felt a warm hand on her shoulder, and was turned around roughly. Hiei's crimson eyes smoldered into her deep green ones, like he was searching her.

"But this does." He growled. Kaari felt a pang of fear, unsure of what he was doing. His lips captured hers then, in a rough kiss that set her on fire. She kissed him back, and he put his hand to the back of her neck, entwining his fingers in her hair and holding her to him. She wrapped her arms around his waist. Completely lost in the way his mouth and body felt against hers, she didn't care when they hit the floor and he put his hands on either side of her to keep from crushing her.

Hiei held himself up easily while continuing to kiss her. He licked at her lips, begging to be let in. She complied quickly, and the kiss deepened as he explored her mouth thoroughly. He bit her lip and she whimpered quietly. He finally pulled back and looked at her, slightly out of breath. She lay there and stared up at him panting.

"Kaari…" he said, his voice hoarse with longing.

"Yeah?" she breathed.

"I'm sorry. You're beautiful, wolf. And I fully intend to make you mine." He stated, then laughed as a scarlet blush spread across her face. The next thing she knew he was standing up and she was cradled in his arms and he was walking towards her room. A thousand images were dancing through her mind, a thousand questions nagging her. She thought her heart was going to rip through her shirt when he threw her on the bed and stepped back, kicking his boots off. He studied her as he pulled his shirt off and began unbuckling his belts. She watched him nervously, admiring his body as it was slowly revealed. He climbed up on the bed and knelt in front of her.

"Don't worry, I'm not the only one that's going to be naked." He said with a smirk. Kaari made a mental note to make someone teach her how to keep him out of her mind as she blushed furiously.

She jumped as he ran his hands up her stomach, pushing her shirt up. He pushed it up over her head and threw it to the side, stopping to admire her the way her breasts filled the cups of her black lace bra, then that was gone, too. She was breathing harder now, past blushing, unable to watch him examine her. Hiei felt her jerk unconsciously as he ran his fingers around one soft pink nipple, then lowered his head and kissed it, then covered it with his mouth, playing with it, teasing it to pebble hardness. She gasped as he nipped it softly, arching her back. He released it and sat up, looking at her with a grin. She glared at him for a moment.

"Tease!" she spat playfully. He laughed and tweaked her other nipple with his hand, enjoying the way her eyes widened at his touch. He ran his hand down her stomach, stopping at the waistline of her jeans. He ran a finger under the very edge of the waistband, ticking her. With a deft flick of his fingers the button was undone. He put a hand on either of her hips and pushed the denim down, then threw them in a pile with the rest of their clothes.

Hiei spent the next thirty minutes teasing Kaari, until she begged for him.

"Hiei, please…god stop teasing me and just do it already!" she gasped up at him, arching her hips towards his throbbing manhood, angry that he always managed to keep out of her reach somehow.

"Do you really want this, Kaari?" he rasped as he pushed her thighs apart with his knees. She glared at him.

"Do you really have to ask?" she quipped. "You could just read my mind."

"I did. And it told me that you've never done this before. So I was just making sure." He stated. She blushed a little, embarrassed at being found out.

She nodded, slowly, and Hiei readied himself at her entrance. Keeping his eyes locked on hers, he inched his way into her, trying not to hurt her anymore than he already would. His eyes widened as a look of pure annoyance crossed her face and she wrapped her legs around him, pushing him into her so fast that he didn't have time to stop her. She cried out in a mix of pain and pleasure, and he gasped, and then stilled to let her adjust. She nodded after a moment, and he began to move inside her, with agonizing slowness. She put her hands on his shoulders to stop him.

"Hiei, I may not have done this before, but I'm pretty sure slow isn't my style. And I know that it sure as hell isn't yours." She said with a lopsided smirk. He grinned wickedly.

"You're damn right it's not my style."

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Hiei lay on his side on the big bed, the covers swathing him in warm downy comfort. Kaari lay curled against his stomach, fast asleep. They'd made love until they couldn't hold themselves up any longer, and then just laid there, staring at the canopy, at each other, at the little floaters in their vision…

That was the last thing Hiei remembered. He didn't know how he'd ended up cuddled with her like this, but he didn't mind. His barely conscious mind was blissfully empty, for once, except for recaps of the past few hours. He played over every moment of the two of them…the passion that she exuded mixed with her playfulness…it was amazing…and yet…he'd never said those three words. And he knew that the only time he ever would would be if he didn't think he would ever see her again. He'd tried to say them several times over the course of their lovemaking and could never seem to make them come out. But he was sure that he did love her, that much he couldn't deny.

Feeling the girl next to him stir, he yawned and stretched.

"Hiei?" she murmured sleepily.

"Hm?" he grunted, rolling onto his back.

"Can we just stay in the bed until tomorrow? Do we have to get up?" she whimpered, pouting for effect. An effect that didn't seem to work on the fire demon.

"Are you not hungry?" he asked. She shook her head, paused, and then nodded. Hiei laughed.

"Ok. Want a shower first?" he prompted, gesturing towards her mussed hair. She glared at him, and then yawned widely; completely blowing the menacing look she'd been going for.

He was gone a second later.

Karri laid back on the fluffy down pillows and sighed. Everything about Hiei seemed to be rushed. The speed with which he did things, the fast way his mind worked, the way he talked in short little sentences…heck, their relationship was moving faster than she'd ever dreamed. The day before yesterday he'd told her she was crap, today he'd made love to her like he was possessed. She was thoroughly confused by him, but then, no one else seemed to understand him, either. She sighed again, feeling so content that she could cry. Memories were playing out in her mind like a movie. Her fingers drifted up to where he'd bitten her, marking her as his forever. It was an honor, she'd heard, to be the possession of such a strong demon, especially Hiei…the forbidden child of the Koorime… though she wasn't sure if she liked being referred to as a possession. The skin around the puncture marks was tender; her mind drifted to the moment when he'd sunk his fangs into her shoulder, signaling his release and bringing hers. He really was an incredible lover, and she was instantly jealous of any other girl that had ever loved him. A low growl rumbled from her chest at that thought, and she tried to rid her mind of the poisonous images.

"What are you growling about?" Hiei asked, craning his neck around the bathroom door, making Kaari jump.

"Nothing." She said softly. If he really wanted to know, he could read her mind, and she really didn't want to bring it up, so she hoped that if he did read her, he would ignore that particular thought.

"Hn. Whatever. Ready for a shower?" he grunted. She nodded and slipped out of the bed, joining him in the bathroom. A repeat of their earlier shower, Hiei stepped into the shower, naked this time, and then held his hand out to her. She took it and joined him under the water, shivering in pleasure as the heat of it sent chills up her spine. She turned her body to face Hiei, pressing her body against his, simply trying to find the beautiful feeling she got when their skin touched. His eyes softened as they met hers, the same way that they had during the sex, like for the first time in his life he was content. She smiled up at him.

Hiei returned Kaari's affectionate smile. He loved the way her skin felt on his, the warm water only heightening it. He gazed into her forest green eyes, lowering his face until their lips just barely touched. He lowered her head onto his chest and rested his chin on the top of her head. Putting one hand at the base of her skull and the other at the small of her back, he pressed her closer to him. Kaari was surprised at the sudden show of affection from Hiei, and he chuckled warmly.

"Can't I appreciate what's mine?" he murmured. He felt the muscles in her face move as she smiled against his chest. He reached up and felt for the shampoo bottle, then poured the sweet smelling liquid into his palm and began to wash her hair. She squirmed as he pressed his fingers into her scalp, moaning softly, and bringing a soft smile to his lips. He rinsed her head of the shampoo and then took a bar of soap and a washcloth from the shelf and lathered it in his hands. She sighed in obvious pleasure as he washed her, gasping when the rough cloth brushed her tender breasts. He took his time, and when he was done she'd never felt so clean in her whole life. She felt like she was actually sparkling. He read her and hid a smile, unwilling to let her know that to him she did sparkle. He then shoved the washcloth at her and arched an eyebrow. She added more soap and began to bathe him, massaging the tense knots in his muscles as she did so. He looked at his face, smiling as his jaw worked every time her fingers dug in, the way his breath caught when she went over one of his erogenous zones. She felt him harden against her thigh and rubbed the two areas together, inciting a small groan from his lips. Cloth forgotten, she soon found herself against the wall of the shower, Hiei kissing her feverishly, his hands running over her body, white heat flaring everywhere their skin met. She felt herself falling and he slid a thigh between her legs to hold her up as his lips moved down to her neck and collarbone. She groaned and bit her lip, tipping her head back to allow him better access to her sensitive skin.

Hiei worked his way down what he could reach of her body with his mouth, nipping at the ultrasensitive area around one of her nipples, enjoying the way she dug her nails into his back. He lifted her effortlessly and sheathed himself inside her, catching her eye just before he did so that he could watch her face. He let a sigh escape his lips as he filled her. He lifted her by her hips and drove into her a second time. He continued until she cried out his name, and he hers, and they slid to the floor of the shower with him still buried inside her.

"Hhhhiei…" she slurred, gazing down at him through her lashes, before laying her head against his shoulder. They lay like that until the water turned cold. She sat up and looked at him.

"NOW I'm hungry." She said playfully. And for the first time since she'd known him, he laughed.


	13. Chapter twelve: laziness

Chapter 12- laziness

Ok guys…this chapter's probably going to be short, just kind of filler. So….yeah. I hope you've enjoyed it so far, and I would like more reviews…I AM writing this for free…

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The days passed by quickly for Hiei and Kaari, most of their days spent just lounging around in the house. Hiei was always very loathe to leave Kaari there by herself, but when he did, she would always go explore his little subterranean mansion, and when her wrist finally healed all the way she would take to leaving and just running in her wolf form. This always tugged at Hiei's patience, ever fearing the safety of his lover. Kurama would come by often and cook for them, clean for them, and sometimes he would stay for days at a time.

As the days turned into weeks and the weeks became months, Hiei began to feel himself changing. He felt happy, and maybe even content, with this girl. But he never told her he loved her. And she didn't seem to mind. She could sense it in his hugs, in the way that he acted towards her.

One day, two months after they'd become lovers, Hiei came home from a long day of training and was almost knocked over by the girl running to meet him. She threw her arms around his neck and buried her face there.

"Kaari…what is it? Are you okay?" he asked, holding her at arms length and examining her quickly, making sure she wasn't hurt. Her eyes filled with tears that spilled as a smile spread across her face.

"Oh, yes, I'm fine. I'm just so…happy!" she exclaimed. Hiei felt his eye begin to twitch in annoyance.

"Then why are you crying?" he probed. She laughed.

"They're happy tears, Hiei." She said with a giggle.

"Kaari…why are you so happy?" he asked. She smiled.

"Read me."

"What?"

"You heard me. Read my mind."

So he did. He paled and sat down on one of the sofas. "…Kaari…" he murmured. She frowned.

"Aren't you happy, Hiei?" he lifted his gaze to her face, wincing inwardly at the way her lip trembled. He reached for her hand, and when she took it he pulled her down into his lap.

"Kaari…do you know what this means?" he whispered. She turned wide green eyes on his.

"It means we're going to be parents…What's wrong with that, Hiei?"

"I'm the forbidden child, Kaari, and you're on your own family's hit list. What do you think is going to happen if either group finds out?" he asked flatly. She exhaled roughly, his logic crushing.

"I…I don't know…Oh, Hiei, what are we going to do?" she wailed, the tears coming again. He wrapped her arms around her and lay down, taking her with him, with her face towards his. He brushed her hair away from her face and kissed her.

"I'm sorry I upset you…as for what we'll do, I guess we'll have to see what happens. If they don't find out, then we can all be a family, like you obviously want. But if they do…you'll have to escape." He murmured. She sniffed and met his eyes.

"What about you?" she asked, fear creeping into her voice.

"I'll fight them, and if I have to I'll kill them all. I wont let you get hurt. No matter what." He assured her.

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The next day, after breakfast, he took her by the hand and led her down into the basement.

"Hiei, what-" she began, looking around her. "Why are we down here?" she asked.

"Should the time come when you have to escape, I want you to know how to get away safely. Do you see that sink over there?" he asked her, pointing to the small counter and sink in the corner. She nodded.

"Yeah, what about it?" Hiei dropped her hand and strode to the fixture.

"Watch." He said simply. He took hold of the faucet and twisted it around in a complete circle. He repeated this action twice more, turned the knob that would open the pipes. Nothing happened. Then, suddenly, a grating of gears could be heard, all around the room, and a section of the wall across from them sank into the floor.

"As you can see, the whole process takes about a minute. So, hopefully, you'll have enough time to get down here. That's a tunnel, and it comes out about a mile away from Genkai's place. There's a switch right inside that will trigger the mechanism and close the entrance…as for light…well…I think you're eyes should be good enough to see without it, right?"

Kaari half nodded. "I can see well at night, but…if it's total darkness I might have some trouble…but I should be able to make it."

Hiei walked back over to her and took her in his arms. "I pray you never have to use it. But if you do…do not hesitate to. Not even for me. Got it?" he whispered. She nodded.

"Hiei…I…I love you." She murmured, looking up into his eyes. He frowned and looked away.

"I know, Kaari. I know."


	14. Chapter thirteen: when dangers threaten

Chapter 13- when dangers threaten

It wasn't the sound of the door being ripped from it's housing, nor the paw falls on the stairway, nor the click of claws on the tile, that woke Hiei from the state of unconsciousness that he'd succumbed to after a long night of loving Kaari. It was the sniffing. It was the unmistakable sound of a canine nose snuffling around outside the door of the bedroom. He sat bolt upright, checking with the Jagan to confirm his fears. He felt Kaari stir beside him and immediately clapped his hand over her mouth. He glanced down at her. Seeing her expression, he reached into her mind with his own.

_Do you smell him?_

She nodded, eyes wide. He glared at the door as the snuffling continued.

_Go. _He commanded her, and she was out of the bed in a flash, throwing on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt from the floor. She looked at him longingly for a long second before he motioned for her to get. She bolted for the door, threw it open, leapt over the startled wolf outside it and continued to sprint down the hall towards the basement stairs. The lupine scout had a half second to register what was going on before he was after her, sending up a howl that sent chills up Hiei's spine as he tore after the wolf, cutting it off mid yelp with a well placed swipe of his katana.

* * *

Ripper stalked around the tree, growling threats under his breath. He'd received the report of Kaari's location from his spies two days ago, along with the news of her pregnancy. He'd almost gone after her that second, before one of the elders reminded him that it wouldn't be easy to catch Hiei off guard. So they sat, every male in the pack, around the tree house, waiting for the moment when Hiei and Kaari's lovemaking would end and they could move in.

Ripper had sent the scout in almost an hour ago. He glanced at the hole where the door had been, and then back to his pack, shifting is weight from one foot to the other anxiously. He was just about to decide to go in there himself and kill the scout for his incompetence when a howl erupted from underground. It only lasted a second until it was cut off short, but it was enough. The wolves were on their feet instantly, climbing the tree nimbly in their human forms before changing and pouring into the stairwell.

Ripper was halfway up when something caught his attention. Kaari's scent wasn't staying put, as it should have been. It was…moving away. Growling, he leapt from the tree and took off after the scent.

* * *

Kaari tried to ignore the sounds of the wolves in the house, tried to shut out the yelps and cries of pain from them as Hiei fought them off, and concentrated on the faucet. She finally finished the sequence and then waited for what seemed like an eternity for the tunnel to open up. She didn't wait for it to open completely. Instead, she vaulted over the stone panel as soon as it was low enough, slamming her fist into the switch on the inside. Almost instantly, she found herself in complete darkness. She paused, letting her eyes and nose adjust, then shifted to her canine form. She began to move at a slow trot, fighting every instinct to turn around and go help Hiei.

* * *

Ripper let out a surprised grunt as the ground suddenly wasn't there anymore, and he was falling. He landed in complete darkness. Blinking, he looked up, but couldn't see anything but black. Sniffing, he smiled. It was incredibly faint, but Kaari's scent was here. Smiling wickedly to himself, he took on his wolf form and took off at a dead run down the tunnel.

* * *

Kaari had been walking for what seemed like hours in this dark tunnel, jumping at every sound and almost screaming every time she caught her foot on a root. She was disentangling herself from one such root when she suddenly froze. There was a new smell, vastly different from the moist earthy smell in the tunnel coming her way…a very familiar smell, one that sent a wave of fear all the way to her toes. Her hackles raised, she bared her fangs at Ripper as he stalked into her field of vision, his voice invading her head.

"Kaari…how nice to see you. What are you doing in a strange place like this? Exploring? Or just running away?" he growled.

Kaari bit back the smart reply that was aching to get out. "Um… would you believe me if I said I_ was_ exploring?" she prompted. Ripper snorted.

"No."

"Didn't think you would." Kaari muttered, then turned on her heel and bolted back towards the basement entrance as fast as her feet could muster. Ripper snarled and charged after her.

Kaari shifted, hit the wall with her hands and felt around wildly for the switch that would let her back into the house. Just as her fingers found it, Ripper slammed into her back, sinking his teeth into her shoulder. She screamed and tumbled through the hole in the wall, twisting as she fell, and slamming her fist into the side of Ripper's head. He leapt away, snarling insanely. Kaari stared at her father in painful disbelief and hurt, then rolled to her feet.

"Hiei!" she yelled. Above her the cacophony of a brutal battle rang, and she wasn't sure he could hear her, but she hoped he had. She looked at the stairs for half a second, then back at Ripper, who still stood there, salivating all over the floor as his bloodshot eyes never left her.

Then he moved.

In a second he had bounded to the space in between Kaari and the stairs, blocking off her only way out, as the tunnel had sealed behind them. Kaari swallowed hard, racking her mind for something, anything that could get her out of this. Her thoughts flew to the baby inside her and she unconsciously put her hand to her belly. Maybe…if her father still had an ounce of pity left in him…

"So it is true." He snorted, the equivalent of a smirk. "Glad to know I didn't come here for nothing." He growled, and began to advance on his daughter. Kaari's eyes widened. _Well, so much for that, _she thought, as she backed herself against a wall.

* * *

Hiei sliced through yet another wolf and continued to make his way to the basement stairs, where he'd just heard Kaari yell for him. Vaguely he wondered why she wasn't already miles away with his comrades, but the thought was of little importance. It sounded like Ripper himself had found her, and Hiei knew what the crazed wolf would do to Kaari if he didn't get there soon.

"_Hiei!!!!"_ her voice sounded from the basement again, screaming now. He grit his teeth and closed his eyes, then yanked the ward from his forehead and prepared to call the dragon. The wolves seemed to realize what he was about to do, and scattered. He chuckled, relieved, and the next moment was dashing down the stairs.

He was about to turn down the second flight when he felt a set of razor sharp fangs connect with his leg, laying it open to the bone. He bit back the urge to scream, and turned to face the wolf, which took the opportunity to hit him full in the chest. The two tumbled down the metal stairs, slammed into the wall and then hit the floor. Hiei blinked, dazed, and the big canine shook it's shaggy head in an attempt to make the temporary fog go away. Through the haze, Hiei could see Kaari and Ripper facing off. He leapt to his feet, and then hit the floor, his leg unable to support him. Cursing, he tried again, and again he fell. Taking advantage of Hiei's weakened state, the wolf hit him with his full weight again, knocking him onto his side. They rolled across the floor, Hiei hitting, biting, whatever it took to get this thing off of him. He was aware that he was loosing blood too quickly, that he wasn't going to be conscious much longer. He chanced a glance toward Kaari, and almost fainted. While he'd been trying to rid himself of this huge dog, Ripper had backed her into a corner, where she now crouched in a fetal position, trying to protect the baby. She kicked at Ripper over and over again, but her attempts to keep him at bay were failing quickly.

Hiei roared in pain as the wolf on top of him tried to rip out his throat. With a new blast of strength he threw the demon off. A twist of his arms and its neck was snapped. The fire demon looked up from the dead wolf just in time to see Ripper sink his fangs into Kaari's abdomen. The girl screamed and Hiei's eye's widened. Cold rage ignited inside him, and in a heartbeat he was at her side, his fist slamming into Ripper's head with every ounce of strength that he could muster. Hiei smirked at the snarling canine in front of him. Then it happened. Faster than anyone could have expected, Ripper was suddenly at Hiei's throat, tearing into him with wild abandon. Pinned to the floor, all Hiei could do was stare at the ceiling in utter shock at the sudden turn of events. He could hear Kaari screaming, could feel the flesh being torn from his bones, and could feel…fire? Energy? What was this? Something was happening, something dark and angry and deadly was bubbling up inside him, pouring out of him with reckless power. He heard nothing, saw nothing...but it hurt, gods it hurt…

Darkness.

Kurama and Yusuke arrived at the huge tree that Hiei's home was inside of just in time to see the most impressive display of demonic energy that either of them had ever seen. A pure column of dark flame shot into the sky, causing them both to jump back, covering their eyes. When they opened them again, it was like they'd stepped into a different place. Where there had been a dense section of forest before was now a crater, smoldering, every last tree and bush completely obliterated. There was no sign that a house had ever even existed in that area.

"Oh…my…god…" Yusuke breathed, his chocolate eyes wide. Kurama wore a similar expression. Suddenly the fox burst out of his frozen state and sprinted towards the crater.

"HIEI!" he screamed, coughing from the dust still floating around. There were dead wolves everywhere and the scent coming off of them was almost overpowering…but he could still sense his friend…and Kurama that knew he was going to lose him if he didn't find him fast.

**sorry this was so long. I couldn't think of a good stopping place. Also. Sorry it took so long for me to get this up. My school just randomly blocked the site…also…I wasn't quite sure what to do with Hiei here in order to achieve my purposes for the story…


	15. Chapter fourteen: Waking the Dragon

Chapter 14: waking the sleeping dragon

Semi darkness greeted Kaari as her eyes fluttered open. She glanced around as much as she could without moving her head, and from what she could tell she was in a small room. Whatever she was laying on, a bed, she supposed, was hard, and the sheets were stiff. She tried to sit up, and immediately found that to be a bad idea. Pain flared everywhere in her body. She groaned and lay back down. Turning her head, she looked around the room. There were curtains lining one wall, what little light there was in the room coming from there. She frowned. She remembered this room from her explorations of Genkai's dojo. To the best of her knowledge, it was a makeshift sickroom, the closest thing to a hospital that they had there. She stared up at the ceiling. _Just how bad am I hurt?_ She wondered. As she pondered, she heard the door open.

"Kaari?" Kurama's soft voice called.

"Hm." She answered, finding it difficult to say anything else. The red head was at her side almost instantly, dabbing at her with a cool cloth.

"Good, you're awake. We weren't sure if you were going to make it…" he trailed off, his emerald eyes meeting hers. She looked at him, confused.

"Kurama…what happened?" she asked. "All I can remember is…dad…and…oh my god. Where's Hiei? Is he okay?" she asked. She sat up quickly, ignoring the burst of pain all over her body, her eyes searching Kurama's frantically. "Please tell me he's okay…"

Kurama gently pushed her back down. "Calm down, Kaari. He's still unconscious, but Yukina thinks he'll be all right once he wakes up. In any case, you should be more worried about yourself. How do you feel?"

"Fine, I guess…I mean… it hurts to move, but- " she suddenly stopped talking, her eyes wide. Her hand flew to her abdomen. And she suddenly realized that she felt…empty. Her eyes filled with tears, she looked up at Kurama. The youko bit his lip, his own eyes glistening.

"Kaari…" he murmured. Her entire body shook in a huge, racking sob, her tears spilling forth unchecked. Kurama sat down on the edge of the bed and enveloped her in a warm hug. She cried for what seemed like and hour before she mumbled something incoherent and Kurama pulled back to look at her. "What?" he asked softly, brushing a twig of hair out of her face. She looked up at him with puffy red eyes and swallowed.

"Y-you're s-s-sure Hi-Hiei's okay?" she choked out. Kurama smiled comfortingly.

"Yes, Kaari. He's going to be fine." The fox assured her. She nodded, rubbing her eyes. He looked at her. "Now. Get some rest. I'll be back soon and we'll see about getting you some food, alright?" Kaari nodded, pulling away from him and lying back down, rolling onto her side. She stared at the wall, sniffing. _At least we're both alive… _she thought before drifting back into a troubled sleep. She had no idea when Kurama left the room.

* * *

Kurama closed the door as quietly as he could, then leaned back against it. Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair. He hated having to lie to Kaari, but he had known that the knowledge of loosing her child would crush her. Knowing that she might also loose Hiei would have had devastating effects. In truth, no one knew if Hiei was going to pull out of the coma that he'd been in for a week, as he hadn't shown any sign of going either way. Kurama straightened up and shook his head. He wouldn't do well himself if he continued thinking that his best friend was dying. He turned and walked down the hall a few feet, stopping at a door and knocking softly. A moment later, Yukina's face appeared in the doorway. She smiled, though she was obviously exhausted.

"Hello, Kurama." She said softly, letting him in.

"Thank you, Yukina. You should go get some rest. I'll watch him for a while." The red head said, tucking his hands into his pockets as his eyes rested upon Hiei's form across the room. He frowned. Hiei still showed no sign of getting better; in fact, he didn't seem to be breathing at all. "Yukina…" Kurama said softly, motioning for her. The koorime was at his side instantly.

"What is it?" she asked. Kurama gestured toward Hiei.

"I…don't think he's breathing," he murmured, a worried expression marring his face. "No, I'm sure he isn't…" he continued. He pressed two fingers to Hiei's neck. Feeling nothing, he paled, his blood running cold. "Kami, Yukina. There's no pulse. Go get Genkai…"

* * *

Hiei stared up at the huge doors and frowned. He knew he'd died, he just couldn't figure out what to do now. He figured he knew what was waiting on the other side of those doors, and wasn't too eager to pass through them. Facing Koenma was not the problem. He'd always waited for the moment when he'd be here, and he could get away from that world that had tormented him so…but…not now…he had so much to live for now…he chuckled sourly at that thought. _How ironic. I always wanted to die and couldn't, and once I decide that I don't want to die, I do. _

Deciding that there really wasn't anything that could be done, jammed his hands into his pockets and strode towards the gates that would take him to judgment.

* * *

Koenma hummed quietly to himself as he stamped paper after paper, sending demons and human spirits alike into wherever he felt that they should go. He was mindlessly going through them, barely reading the names, until one caught his eye. He stared at the name, frowning. As he pondered, there was a knock at the door. Botan stuck her head in. Her face bore the deepest frown that he'd ever seen there, and he motioned for her to enter.

"Yes, Botan, what is it?" he asked, his brown eyes searching out hers. She sniffed and swallowed hard.

"Koenma…It's…Hiei...he's...he's…h-here f-f-for…Oh, Koenma…What are you going to do?" she stammered, crying now. "It w-wasn't his…" she trailed off, wiping her eyes. Koenma nodded gravely.

"I know, Botan. Call him in here, please." The demi-god said softly. Botan nodded sadly and collected herself, then left the room. A moment later, the doors opened again and Hiei stepped in, his eyes seeking out and staring down Koenma. They weren't accusing, though, more…thoughtful, Koenma thought. "Come, sit." The toddler motioned to a chair across from his huge desk. He smiled to himself as Hiei plopped down in the chair and propped his boots up on the desk, crossing his arms.

"Well, well, Hiei. Looks like you landed yourself in a bit of a predicament, hmm?" Koenma stated, looking back down at his papers.

"Hn." The fire demon grunted, looking away. "Seems to be the case."

"You've done a lot of…less than noble things in your life, you know?" the toddler continued, still looking down at the documents in his hands. Hiei looked back at him.

"I'm aware of that. I won't deny them." He said, his voice low. Koenma looked up at him for the first time.

"What am I going to do with you, Hiei?" he thought out loud, his eyes searching the demon that he'd come to have something close to respect for. He really didn't want to send him into Limbo, which was where he probably deserved, but he didn't know what to do.

"That's up to you, Koenma. I know what I deserve as well as you do." Hiei's crimson eyes met Koenma's chocolate ones for a moment, and Koenma suddenly knew what he was going to do.

"Well. I've decided." He sat back in his chair. Hiei pulled his feet off of the desk and stood.

"Well?" he prompted. Koenma smiled, and then pressed a button on his desk.

"Botan," he said when her face appeared on the screen across from the desk. Her eyes were filled with worry. Koenma took a deep breath and sighed. "Come in here, please." She nodded and the screen went blank. Koenma returned his gaze to Hiei.

"I'll tell you what I'm going to do, Hiei." He said. Hiei stilled, awaiting his judgment. "You've done many dishonorable things in your lifetime. But I've seen a change in you since I forced you to help Yusuke and the team. I've watched you go from a hateful, vengeful, murderous thief to a friend and a loyal companion to Yusuke, Kurama, and yes, even Kuwabara. Our team won the dark tournament with your help, as well as closing many of the cases that I've sent the team on. Through all this, you've proven yourself to be worth more that I could have ever thought. You've proved that the women that passed judgment on you were indeed wrong to think that you'd never amount to anything. And over the past few months I've seen you become more than that. I've seen you fall in love, something that I'd have never thought you capable of…and so, I pass my judgment on you now: I'm going to give you a second chance." The toddler proclaimed, stamping Hiei's papers accordingly and slamming the folder shut. Hiei stood there and stared at him, his arms hanging loosely at his sides.

"You're…giving me a second chance?" He breathed, his usual aloof expression replaced with one of surprise. He wasn't about to argue, though. When Koenma merely nodded, the fire demon closed his eyes, bowed his head, and smiled. "Thank you, Koenma." He said. Koenma smiled.

"You know, sometimes I can see the effect that Kurama has had on you."

Hiei's head shot up and his lip curled. "That fox has nothing to do with the way I act." He spat. Koenma rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Fine, fine…whatever you say, Hiei." The little demon nodded at him as if asserting the fact that he was right, and then turned on his heel and strode towards the door. As he reached the handle, the door burst open and Botan rushed in, throwing her arms around his neck.

"Oh, Hiei, I wish I'd told you that I've always loved you and I didn't and now you're going to be gone and-"

"Botan…" Koenma laughed, eyeing Hiei's shocked and slightly choked expression. The blue haired girl looked up at him.

"What?" she asked, her eyes wide. Hiei struggled away from her, looking nauseous.

"I'm giving him a second chance." The demi god said with a wide grin. Botan blushed and looked at Hiei, who was trying to smooth his shirt back down. He glared at her.

"Oh. Well, then. Forget that I said that." Botan said, looking away, embarrassed.

"Hn. Let's go." Hiei muttered, stalking out of the room. As he stepped out into the sunlight of the rekai, he couldn't help but smile to himself. He was getting a second chance, and he'd be damned seven times over if he ruined it. His thoughts flicked to Kaari, and he smiled even wider. They were going to be a family…


	16. Chapter fifteen: New

Chapter fifteen: burden

Kaari opened her eyes. The commotion outside her door was less than comforting, she decided, and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Finding that she could stand, she tottered over to the door and opened it. She leaned out the door and looked around. Yukina and Keiko were both rushing down the hall towards another room, Genkai in tow. Kaari slipped out unnoticed and followed them. They disappeared through a door. As they closed it, the draft of air that had been forced out caused her to frown. _Hiei's in that room…_

* * *

Kurama sat with his head in his hands, staring at the floor, unwilling and unable to cry. Hiei was gone, he knew, and past anyone's help. Genkai had already done everything in her power. Kurama felt broken. Hiei was his closest friend, ally, confidante, whatever you wanted to call it, and now he was gone. His mind was assaulted with the memories of the day that this had all gone wrong…the day when Ripper had decided that he was in fact, insane, and attacked his two friends…the way he'd found them, lying in that crater that Hiei had obviously created. The image of Hiei lying there, covered in ashes, black tendrils of energy still creeping out of his mouth and nose from where the dragon had taken control and destroyed everything…including Ripper…at least that had been taken care of…he still had no idea how Kaari had survived… he supposed that the dragon had protected her even as it had Hiei…he would never know, he guessed.

A hand on his shoulder made him look up, meeting Botan's eyes.

"He's gone, Botan." He murmured, looking back down. At that moment, the door opened and Kaari burst in.

"What do you mean he's gone? Who? Hiei? You told me he would be okay…" the wolf nearly shrieked. Kurama looked at her solemnly.

"I'm sorry, Kaari…he…just slipped away…we couldn't do anything…" he said, rising from his chair and striding over to her. He moved to embrace her and she pushed him away, rushing to the bed that Hiei's prone form was lying on. She clambered up onto the bed and shook Hiei's shoulders, crying.

"Hiei…No! I can't loose you too! Please! Please….Hiei…" she sobbed. Her energy exhausted, she laid her head on his chest and cried. Everyone in the room watched her, pity evident upon their faces, no one really knowing what to do. Botan wanted to smile and tell Kaari that it was gonna be ok, but Hiei had made her promise that she wouldn't…of course, Hiei didn't know just how much Kaari really would have lost had he not been given another chance. So she just stood there, against her better judgment, and watched her friend cry…

* * *

Kaari couldn't believe what her eyes and her nose and her brain were telling her. She couldn't let herself believe it. Hiei couldn't be dead. She couldn't have lost everything all over again…and yet she was being forced to. All she could do was lie there and cry, soaking the sheets that covered Hiei's prone form, feeling her heart being crushed a little more with every sob. She didn't notice when his chest rose and fell in a heavy breath.

* * *

Kurama sensed it before anyone else. Hiei's presence was suddenly there, where it had been absent a moment before. He didn't say anything, though. He wasn't sure if he had finally lost his mind or not. Only when Hiei's crimson eyes fluttered open and he took a deep breath did Kurama believe it. Those ruby eyes sought out his green ones and Kurama smiled in relief. Hiei returned the smile. It didn't seem that anyone else had noticed the fact that Hiei was suddenly alive again, and so Kurama still remained silent.

* * *

Hiei could feel her pain, could feel her absolute sorrow. He supposed that it was the mark he'd left on her, binding her to him, connecting them forever. In any case, he could feel it, and it was…heart wrenching. He opened his eyes and saw the top of her head on his chest. He glanced around the room and saw Kurama staring at him with worry filled eyes. He smiled at him, barely, meeting his best friend's green orbs. He raised his arms and wrapped them around Kaari. The distraught girl looked up at him, her tear streaked expression one of complete disbelief.

"H-Hiei?" she croaked. Hiei smiled at her. He raised his hand and ran it through her hair.

"Kaari…"he breathed. He was vaguely aware of pain flaring in his body, but he didn't care. Her mouth was on his in an instant, taking his breath away in a desperate kiss.

"Oh, Hiei…I thought…I thought you were dead!" she gasped as soon as she pulled away. He looked at her, brushing strands of hair from her face.

"I was, Kaari." He whispered. Kaari's eyes grew wide.

"What? Then how…" she questioned.

"He gave me another chance." Hiei murmured. There was a soft chuckle from the doorway.

"Seems like he's doin' that more and more these days…" Yusuke drawled. Hiei looked over at him.

"Hn. Indeed it does, detective." Hiei looked back at Kaari.

"I'm not…healed, yet Kaari, so, if you don't mind…could you get off?" he asked, grunting a little as he became aware of her weight upon his chest. He would examine his wounds later, though. For right now, he had more pressing matters to attend to.

"Kaari…How's the child?" he asked as she slid off of the bed. He ran a hand over her stomach almost lovingly, and then looked up at her. What he saw there caught him off guard. Her forest green eyes were filled with tears as her hand covered his own.

"Gone." She said softly, her resolve not to cry in front of him anymore wearing thin. He blinked.

"Gone?!" he demanded. She looked away.

"Didn't make it." Her voice broke then, and she almost hit the floor, but Hiei somehow managed to untangle himself from the sheets and catch her not a moment too soon. He gathered her to his chest, ignoring the massive amount of pain that he was suddenly in. She buried her head in the crook of his neck and wept, for the third time that day, and she was certain that she would never be able to cry again. Hiei held her tight, his ruby eyes burning. He looked up at Kurama.__

_That bastard will pay, fox. I'll personally make sure that he does. If I have to rip him apart limb for limb, I swear I'll destroy the memory of him for this._ He growled mentally. Kurama turned away.

_**I'm afraid that's already done, Hiei. You decimated everything with in a mile of your house. Those wolves never stood a chance.**_ He answered. Hiei practically snarled.

_What do you mean?!_

_**I mean you unleashed a huge amount of darkness and destroyed everything, including the wolves. And your house, for that matter.**_

"Do you hate me, Hiei? Do you…Do you regret…me?" Kaari asked softly. Hiei looked down at her, blinking.

"What?" He asked, temporarily shocked. Every single eye in the room was trained on the couple, waiting with bated breath for what the unpredictable demon would say. When Kaari just stared up at him, knowing that he'd heard the question, Hiei swallowed hard and let go of her. He turned his back to her, his head down, fists clenched.

"Kaari…I've done a lot of things that I'm not proud of. A lot. I've killed…numerous innocents to get what I want…I've manipulated, lied, cheated and murdered my way to the top…And _those_ things I regret. So many things…" He turned his head and looked at her over his shoulder. "But…loving you…is not one of them."

Kaari felt herself grow even weaker. This was the closest that Hiei had ever come to telling her that he loved her. He vanished, then reappeared behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. She turned in his arms and smiled at him.

"Really?" she whispered, her green eyes searching for any sign that he was lying.

"Hn. My word is good, wolf." He said brashly, and then claimed her mouth in the most passionate kiss they'd ever shared.

Kurama cleared his throat softly. Hiei waved in his general direction, shooing him away. The fox smiled and motioned to every one that they needed to leave as well, waiting until the last person was gone before exiting himself. As he closed the door on the couple, he sent one last little quip at Hiei.

_**You continue to surprise me, Hiei. **_

_Yes, well, I suppose dying woke me up a bit. I realized while I was staring at the gates that I still had so much to live for…_

_**Do you suppose that maybe…Kokoro's spell had something to do with you softening up?**_

_I am NOT soft, fox. _

_**You fell in love. Didn't you say once that that made you weak?**_

…_Falling in love made me stronger. It gave me something to live for other than Yukina…_

_**So you were wrong.**_

_Would you shut up? I'm busy._ And with that, the mental link was closed. Kurama smirked and shook his head. Tucking his hands into his pockets, he strode off down the hall.

* * *

Kaari whimpered a little when Hiei stopped kissing her and pulled away, holding her at arms length.

"Kaari…" he murmured.

"What?" she asked, suddenly wary. Seeing the look in her eyes, Hiei pulled her into a tight hug, burying his face in her hair.

"You are my mate, and my lover, and my everything." He whispered. Kaari's eyes widened at the sudden out of character outburst from the fire demon. She leaned back and looked at him.

"Hiei? Would you do something for me?" she asked softly. Hiei looked at her, puzzled.

"What?"

"Would you… tell me that you love me?"

Hiei pulled her head back to his chest and put his mouth close to her ear.

"Only if there's a chance that I'll be able to tell you for the rest of my life." He whispered. Kaari's breath caught, somewhere in between a sob and a laugh. She nodded.

"I'm yours, Hiei, Forever." She murmured. She heard him draw in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. He kissed the shell of her ear, closing his eyes.

"I love you, Kaari." He breathed.

* * *

HAHAH!!! I'm done! Wow. This turned out better than I thought it would, though I'm still not quite happy with it…but oh well. This is just the first in what will most likely be a trilogy, so keep your eyes peeled for the next installment!


End file.
